A man standing trial over the alleged murder of an elderly couple in Abia State has denied cutting their throats as contained in an alleged confessional statement, telling the High Court that police officers tortured him and forced him to confess to the killings.
Ndubuisi Okebulachi made the allegation while being cross-examined on Wednesday before Justice U. Enwereji of the High Court of Abia State.
Okebulachi is standing trial over the alleged murder of Jacob Udo and his wife, Cordelia Udo, who were allegedly killed at their residence in Etiti-Ulo, Bende Local Government Area, on October 1, 2024.
Several properties were also reportedly stolen from the couple’s residence.
During the proceedings, Okebulachi admitted that a statement he made to the police on October 13, 2024, was made voluntarily and without duress.
In the statement, he told the police that Chima Thomas, popularly known as Mr Tom, gave him a black Tecno button phone on October 2, 2024.
Okebulachi said he was arrested on October 12, 2024, after Thomas asked him to come to New Timber, Isieke, to discuss wood business.
He told the court that while he was in the police vehicle following his arrest, he informed the officers that the Tecno phone in his possession had been given to him by Thomas.
He said Thomas was present when he disclosed this to the police but did not deny giving him the phone.
However, in another statement dated October 16, 2024, Okebulachi allegedly confessed to killing the couple.
According to the statement, he allegedly went to the couple’s residence at about 7pm on October 1, 2024, to demand money he claimed they owed him for firewood.
He allegedly stated that an argument broke out after the couple refused to pay the outstanding balance, following which he killed Cordelia by cutting her throat with a cutlass before killing her husband, Jacob.
He also allegedly confessed to taking two television sets, a gas cylinder, a handset, a GoTV decoder and a home theatre from the residence.
But under cross-examination, Okebulachi disowned the October 16 statement, alleging that police officers tortured him and forced him to confess to the killings.
He told the court that the officers hung him upside down, with his legs raised and his head facing downwards, and tortured him until he made the confession.
He further alleged that the police connected a wire to a live motor battery and used it to administer electric shocks to his left leg while obtaining an audio confession.
However, when questioned about the allegation, Okebulachi admitted that he did not include the alleged electric-shock incident in his statement on oath.
He claimed that this was why his legs were not shown in the confessional video allegedly recorded by the police.
The accused also denied being at the couple’s residence on October 1, 2024, insisting that he was at his home in Omimi, Bende Local Government Area.
He denied knowing the deceased or selling firewood to them, despite an earlier statement attributed to him in which he reportedly described Jacob as a customer.
The police investigation report tendered in evidence stated that the investigation began after the deceased’s son, Chibuike Udo, reported the killings at the Bende Divisional Police Headquarters on October 2, 2024.
According to the report, Chibuike told the police that his parents had been involved in a longstanding land dispute with the family of Amazi Effiong and that members of the family had allegedly issued threats concerning the disputed property.
The police subsequently arrested Amazi Effiong, John Vincent and Emmanuel Sunday, but they denied involvement in the killings.
Other suspects, including Abuchi Nwaneri, Akpan Udo and Monday Obuka, were also arrested and questioned but denied involvement.
The police said investigators later tracked Cordelia Udo’s phone number, which had allegedly been stolen after the killing.
The tracking led to the arrest of Thomas Chima, who allegedly provided information that led investigators to Okebulachi.
According to the police, Cordelia’s Tecno phone was subsequently recovered from Okebulachi.
The investigation report further stated that a search warrant was executed at Okebulachi’s residence, where investigators allegedly recovered items believed to belong to the deceased couple.
The recovered items included a 32-inch LG television, a 55-inch LG television, an LG DVD player, a Passat vehicle key, two extension wires, two TV/DVD power guards, five TV remotes and a Samtus LPG cylinder.
The investigation was also extended to Ekoli-Eda in Ebonyi State, where Okebulachi’s girlfriend, Felicia Njoku, was arrested.
According to the report, Njoku told the police that Okebulachi had brought some food items to her but denied knowing that they were stolen.
A search of her residence allegedly led to the recovery of a small quantity of crayfish, one head of stockfish and about three cups of rice, which the police said were among the items stolen from the deceased couple’s home.
The police report further stated that investigators visited the scene of the crime and took photographs, while the bodies of the deceased were inspected at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia mortuary.
It stated that the bodies had injuries to their throats and that coroner forms were processed for possible autopsy.
In court, Okebulachi maintained that Thomas was the person who gave him Cordelia’s Tecno phone.
He also denied that the properties recovered from his residence belonged to the deceased, insisting that the police had tortured him into making statements implicating himself.
The defence subsequently challenged the circumstances surrounding the alleged confessional statements, particularly the October 16 statement and the audio and video recordings said to have been obtained during the investigation.
Justice Enwereji adjourned the case to December 10, 2026, for the adoption of final written addresses.
