Enugu-based estate developer cries out over assassination plot

An Enugu-based Estate developer, Mr Kingsley Nebo has raised an alarm over clandestine plot to eliminate him by some leadership of Etiti Ngwo autonomous community in a bid to confiscate his landed property purchased from the community.

Addressing a press conference in Enugu, Nebo recounted how he was framed up in a murder case he had no knowledge of, and arrested him through a procured policemen from the Force headquarters, who abducted him to SWAT office, tortured him for two weeks, forced him to sign already prepared statement under duress and mention names of people as accomplices who are innocent.

Nebo, also noted that while he was being tortured and brutalized at police SWAT unit, some Etiti Ngwo leaders, namely –

Daniel Ezeh, Onyebuchi Ugwu, Obinna Onyia, participated in the physical torture while taking videos and pictures of the assault which they posted on social platforms.

According to him, after two weeks torture in Enugu, he was taken to Force Headquarters, Abuja, where he was detained for another three weeks before the Deputy Inspector General of Police, in charge of the Force Intelligence Department (FID), DIG Nebolisa Benjamin Okolo found out that he was innocent of the accusations and released him.

“When the leadership of Etiti Ngwo autonomous community could not swayed the DIG to remand him in prison on trump-up charges, they resorted in publishing pictures and videos they took while they were torturing him with the paid policemen in SWAT office in Enugu on various social media platforms including pictures of innocent people he was forced to name under duress.

Giving details of the incident, Nebo narrated: “In 2020, I purchased approximately 200 plots of land from Etiti ngwo community Ngwo, Enugu State. Among the principal actors in this transaction were Daniel Ezeh, Onyebuchi Ugwu, Obinna Onyia, and others. After the purchase, the value of the land appreciated significantly. In what appears to have been a premeditated scheme, these men resold the land I had already purchased to another developer without my knowledge or consent.

“Upon discovering this fraudulent act, I reported the matter to the police for investigation. The individuals were subsequently arrested. Following negotiations and their plea for forgiveness, they agreed to return 100 out of the 200 plots to me. I accepted this resolution in good faith and resumed development work on the land,” he said.

He added, “Shortly after I commenced work, the leadership within the local community that facilitated my settlement on the land was impeached, and new actors—including Onyebuchi Ugwu, Daniel Ezeh, and Obinna Onyia—mobilized a large group of boys to attack my site. They vandalized my property, stole construction materials, damaged my caterpillar, and even set some of my equipment ablaze.

“This destruction represented a significant financial and emotional loss to me. Once again, I reported the matter to the police. After investigation, these individuals were found culpable and were arrested. However, out of compassion, I personally pleaded for their release despite the damages they had inflicted on me.

“In retaliation, these men vowed to harm me further. True to their threat, sometime in July, they moved to demolish another property belonging to Engr. Onyebuchi Okereke at One Day Road. Unknowingly to them, the property was being secured by security operatives engaged by the rightful owner. During the attempted demolition, an exchange of gunfire occurred, and someone was reportedly shot. The attackers were identified and implicated.

“In a bid to escape responsibility, these same individuals later made a false report to the police in Abuja, claiming that I had been the one who recruited and paid the security personnel at Engr. Okereke’s property who were involved in the shooting. Acting on this false allegation, a team of policemen arrested me. During the arrest, over five officers teargased me, hanged me, and forced me under duress to confess to a crime I did not commit; and equally mentioned the names of innocent people: Nnyaba Chuka, Nonso Biggy and Afam as accomplices. All these I confessed under duress because the torturing was really fierce. They even allowed these individuals from Ngwo to video-record me and prepare statements with their own hands to align with their fabricated claims.

“As a result of these false accusations, I was detained for two weeks in Enugu before being transferred to Abuja. Upon proper investigation by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), it was determined that I had no connection whatsoever with Engr. Okereke’s property, the security personnel, or the alleged shooting incident. The DIG therefore directed my immediate release and instructed that the police pursue Engr. Okereke himself, who was confirmed to have engaged the security guards in question.

“Seeing that their attempt to send me to jail had failed, these individuals from Ngwo—Daniel Ezeh, Onyebuchi Ugwu, Obinna Onyia, and their associates—resorted to social media smear campaigns to tarnish my reputation and image, attempting to portray me as a criminal instead of the victim I truly am.

“This ongoing persecution has caused me immense emotional, financial, and reputational damage, and I continue to fear for my life given their repeated threats and violent actions.”