Five persons, including two native doctors, have been arrested in Enugu for the mysterious death that was allegedly caused by the ‘invocation of juju’ on a disputed land.
The incident occurred at Nkpologwu, a community in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.
It was gathered that the alleged ‘victim’ of the juju spell, Thomas Ezeugwu, a native of the community, died mysteriously on October 6, 2017.
Ezeugwu was not sick when he reportedly slumped and died.
During his burial at Nkpologwu, three persons said to be relatives of the deceased, allegedly ‘confessed’ to the villagers that Ezeugwu died as a result of the juju which they invoked on a piece of land.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the land had been a subject of dispute between them and the deceased.
The three persons—Nicholas Okolo, Peter Ezugwu, and Augustine Ezeugwu— are also natives of Nkpologwu community but are all based in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The trio reportedly disclosed that they brought the juju from Omor town in Anambra State, and invoked it on the disputed land after the late Ezeugwu sold 20 plots without their permission.
The alleged ‘confession’ was brought to the notice of the police, leading to the arrest of the trio.
Spokesman for the Enugu State Police Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the development, said the police had conducted further investigations into the development.
He said, “On the strength of this information, operatives of the Enugu State Police Command swung into action by launching a full-scale investigation into the invocation of juju and murder against the suspects with a view to finding out the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of the deceased, amongst other things.”
Further investigations by the police led to the arrest of two native doctors, Obu Madubuike and Okafor Okoye, who are from Omor town in Anambra State.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Okolo, Peter Ezugwu, Augustine Ezeugwu and the two native doctors were arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrate Court at Adani, in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu, on November 3, 2017.
They are facing a two counts of “conspiracy to commit felony to wit, trial by ordeal and planting and invocation of prohibited juju into a communal land situated at Ogba, Nkpologwu, which caused the death of Ezeugwu.”
But the accused persons pleaded not guilty. The case was adjourned to December 1, 2017.