Florence Uwaeme
The boyfriend of Miss Kelechi Onuoha, one of the victims of the confessed serial killer, Gracious David West, paid N70,000 ransom to West after he had killed her, her brother alleges.
The grief-stricken brother identified as Micheal who narrated the effects of the painful loss on members of his family, said his sister’s boyfriend revealed to him that about 2 am on that Tuesday, a call came through a phone number with the caller claiming that his sister was kidnapped by ritualists and he managed to rescue her and demanded for a ransom of N150,000.
He said they negotiated for N50,000 and he said the money should be transferred into his sister’s account.
“He later called again that he ( the boyfriend of the deceased) should send more money, that what he sent was not enough. Again he also called one my sister’s friend and narrated the same Kidnap story and she also sent N20,000 to my sister’s account. But when they insisted on speaking to my sister, he stopped taking their calls.”
“We are really crying for justice because our sister was killed in most horrifying circumstances and we were also extorted by the same person. It is quite painful,”
West pleaded guilty before a Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt for the murder of nine ladies in different hotels and the attempted murder of one lady all in Rivers State.
West who was arraigned on October 22nd on a ten-count charge under the criminal code of Rivers State law 1999 section 319 sub-section 1 and section 321 CAP 37 volume 2, admitted to the court to have unlawfully killed nine ladies including; Maureen, Jennifer Okocha, Blessing Effiong, Linda Wariba, Dorcas Francis, Rose Samuel, Patient Momoh, Antonia Ibe and attempted murder of Benita Etim.
During the court proceeding, Rivers State Government through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor, filed an application to take over the prosecution of the matter from the Police OC Legal and Prosecution Counsel of the police.
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The Presiding Judge, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, after listening to arguments of the parties granted the application of the State Prosecution to take over the case as it is a high profile matter which warrants capital punishment.
The Judge ruled for a plea of not guilty for the Defendant in order for him to undergo trials before the court while expressing readiness for a speedy hearing of the matter.
The Court adjourned to 18th, 21st, 27th November, and 4th December for the Prosecution to open their case and ordered the defendant to be remanded in prison custody.
OC Legal and Police Prosecution Counsel, Gladys Imegu, said it is the constitutional right of the State Prosecution to take over the matter, adding that the criminal Justice law of Rivers State also gives Police prosecutorial power to prosecute the case.
“It is their constitutional right as State Prosecution, we are not against it because it is for the betterment of the state that we are working together”
Chidi Ekeh, the State Prosecuting Counsel, explained that the state decided to take over the matter in order to prosecute the case to its logical conclusion and ensure justice is served.
“Despite that, all the people killed are from Rivers State, they are human beings and the state has a responsibility to protect the people in the state irrespective of where they come from. If anyone goes contrary to the laws of the land, the state has to rise and say we condemn such an act.
“The state will not allow him to go Scot free, the state wants to know the reason the Defendant killed those ladies because they had the right to life, everyone has the right to life. We want to ensure Justice is done, and Justice is a tripartite arrangement, Justice to the victims of crime, Justice to the state whose law has been broken and Justice to the Defendant”
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