By Evelyn Usman and Ifeanyi okolie

‘Is it bad for one to help a friend in time of distress?” This is the question on the lips of many who knew Emeka Nwazuruike, Manager of the Ebute-Metta branch of Spring Bank,who was sent to an unprepared grave last Saturday by no other than his very own relative and tenant.

His crime? He borrowed the sum of N11million to a neighbor last year to boost his business, only to get killed for simply demanding for the money which was long over due.

Surprisingly, his assailant was discovered to have nothing to do with the refund nor was he involved during the period the money was borrowed. His role is simply that he is an in-law to the debtor.

• The late bank manager Emeka Ohazulike

The genesis of the relationship that later turned sour, started when Emeka moved into a three-bed room flat at number 24, Silver Street, Finiger area of Satellite, Lagos.

Just at the same time, other bachelors who were also from the eastern part of the country parked in. But among them, Emeka and Onyeka Idimele became close friends owing to the fact that they shared the three bedroom flats on the ground floor.

Along the line, Onyeka was said to have borrowed the sum of N2 million from his banker friend with an interest of N200 thousand every year, which he never defaulted.

As time went on, he came with a business proposal that was to gulp N22 million and decided to sell the idea to his banker friend. But Emeka’s singular nod of approval to the proposal was later discovered to be his greatest undoing. Unfortunately, he did not live to reap the fruit of benevolence.

In this interview, his assailant, Kenneth Udeh , who happened to be the debtor’s in-law narrated how Emeka was killed in cold blood penultimate Saturday, August 6, 2011.

“I quite agree that I did not know anything about the money that my in-law, Onyeka borrowed from Emeka. But when I started living with my in-law, Emeka reported the matter to me and I assured him he would get the money.

• The house where he was murdered.

“On the day in question, Emeka called me into his flat and together we went to buy newspaper and were reading inside his sitting room. At that point, he brought up the issue of the borrowed money again and said I spent the money with my in-law . That led to an argument during which he pushed and slapped me.

When I fell off balance, I dashed out of his flat and ran into ours to get a kitchen knife. I ran into his flat where I met him with a towel tied round his waist. I started warning him to stay away from me because I am very temperamental.

But he rushed towards me and I did not know the knife had plunged into his body until I saw blood on the floor. At that point, I became afraid and rushed out of the house. I jumped through the fence to the other street from where I contacted my in-law who at that time, was at his shop”.

• The Murder weapon.

“I never meant to kill him. Emeka was my brother. In fact, I did not know he was dead. Ah! My temperament has put me into trouble. What will become of me?” he asked.

Asked if it was a premeditated attempt, the 33-year-old man said “ no, it was out of anger.”

On his part, 33-year-old Onyeka Idemili, the debtor said he got wind of what the issue was while in his shop at Abuja plaza, in Trade Fair. He admitted to have borrowed the sum from the deceased but maintained he never sent his in-law to fight for him.

He has put me into trouble. I do not know why he had to stab him after all he was not there when I borrowed the money. Yes, I borrowed the sum of N22 million from Emeka.

It was a joint venture. I brought the business proposal to him and he showed interest. But he told me he would not pay the whole amount of N22 million for the transaction that I should pay half of it. Before then, I had borrowed the sum o f N2 million which I was paying N200,000 every month as interest.

But he caused the whole problem because as at the time I was to travel to get the goods, dollar was N151.5 naira. When I got there, he did not pay the eleven million into my account and that caused a delay. When he eventually did , dollar had gone up to N156.8. At the end of the day, I lost over N2 million.

I managed to pay twice the interest of N1.9 million on the borrowed sum twice but stopped because I had to get another goods to make up for the lose in the earlier one. That was when he started coming for his money and I assured him I would pay.

• The suspects: Onyeka and Kenneth.

My father even paid N3 million out of the money and I promised I would finish the payment before the end of the year. I did not quarrel with him at any point in time, all I did was to beg him, even when he brought his lawyer to intervene. I did not send my in-law to kill him.

Asked what he was doing at motor park, where he was arrested, he replied, “ I was only waiting for Kenneth because I was scared of going home. He asked me to meet him at Surulere and I was waiting for a commercial bus”.

The suspects, according to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Samuel Jinadu, would be charged to court.

Meanwhile, relatives of the 38 -year-old murdered bank manager have urged the police to conduct proper investigation into the circumstances that surrounded their brother’s death and not to allow perpetrators of the heinous crime go scouts frees The younger sister to the deceased.

Oliaku Ohazulike who spoke to Crime Alert yesterday, tasked the police to be thorough in their investigations alledging that her brother received several threats from his assailants before he was final killed.

She also alleged that one of the assailants, Onyekachi told a neighbor that he will kill the Bank Manager if he doesn’t stop requesting the payment of the loan. According to her, “ that was not the only time he was threatened to deal with my brother, but that threat was quite immediate and my brother failed to act on it.

My brother also received several threat calls from Kenneth but he took it with a pinch of salt. My brother’s relationship with these guys during his last days was quite fragile. Every where was tensed and their relationship was not like it was. Now, Onyekachi is claiming that he is not aware of the plot to kill my brother but that is a clear lie.

Even the young boy that lives with them disclosed to us that he overheard them planning to execute my brother but there was no way he could inform us.”