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Assassins Kill 62-yr-old Businessman In Calabar

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The deceased, Vitalis Okoro and his house. Photo Credit: Punch

Some suspected assassins on Wednesday killed a 62-year old business, Mr. Vitalis Okoro at his residence in Calabar, Cross River State, after chasing away his son out of the house.

Naija News gathered that the businessman was a cement dealer who had a block moulding industry which later collapsed.

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The gunmen, according to Punch, after killing Okoro in the bedroom, dragged the corpse into his Toyota Sequoia and drove some distance away from the house on Anaku Street, in the Ikot Effanga Mkpa area of Calabar. Thereafter, they abandoned the corpse after the fuel in the vehicle finished.

The deceased’s three-bedroomed bungalow was said to have been built in an unfenced plot of land and assailants gained entry into the house after destroying the burglar-proof window in the sitting room.

A source, anonymously, said she heard a scream from the victim’s house around 4am, and shortly afterwards, some persons opened one of the doors, dragged the body into the car and drove out of the compound.

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She said, “I heard someone scream at about 4am and when I peeped through the window, I saw his car outside. I didn’t know what was happening. Shortly afterwards, some people opened one of the house doors and dragged his body out. I guess they entered the building through the back.

“I wanted to call the police, but I did not have credit on my telephone line. Even if I had, I am not sure I would have achieved anything because they left shortly afterwards with his body in the vehicle. That means they had already killed him before bringing him out. I learnt in the morning that they chased the son out of the house before killing him.

“After the incident, my son called to inform me that they abandoned his corpse in the car. He said they left the key in the ignition.”

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The younger brother of the deceased, Mr. Moses Okoro, said he learnt about the murder around 8am through a phone call from a friend and immediately rushed to his brother’s house where he met the abandoned car on the street with bloodstains in the back seat.

Moses said the victim was not in good terms with his wife who had been invited by the police in Calabar for interrogation.

“My brother was at loggerheads with his estranged wife in the last four years. She had three children for him. All attempts to bring them back together had failed because she refused. The police have already invited the woman for questioning.

“About two weeks ago, we concluded that he would relocate to Owerri and I would help him with a business, but after a while, he would sell his house in Calabar to support his new business life,” he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said that investigation was underway to apprehend the perpetrators of the murder.