By Peter Ejiofor
The members of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo South Africa (ONSA), says it will ensure that justice is served in the case of its 38-yearl-old member, Mr Mendis Uzodinma, who was murdered in Rosettenville, Southern Johannesburg.
The association, an arm of the Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA), said on Wednesday in a statement that it got the news of the gruesome murder of Uzodinma on May 13.
“On May 13, 2021, the leadership of ONSA received a distress call from our people (Igbo people) in Rosettenville, Southern Johannesburg, informing us about the gruesome murder of a young, energetic and vibrant Igbo son, Mr Mendis Uzodinma.
“The deceased, a 38-year-old young man, owned a phone shop on Main Street, Rosettenville and hailed from Ohaji Egbema in Imo State,’’ its Deputy Secretary-General, Tochukwu Ngwoke, said in a statement.
Contacted, the President of NUSA, Mr Adetola Olubajo, the union condemned the killing and urged the community to ensure justice is served.
Ngwoke said that ONSA under the leadership of Mr Sunny-Wenike Douglas, had on May 14, stormed Booysens Magistrate Court where the murderers were arraigned for bail to show solidarity and to make sure that the slain Uzodinma got justice.
“According to a witness, who spoke to us at the court premises Mr Mendis was stabbed severely and severally by a South African woman and her husband from Zimbabwe whose daughter sold a phone to Uzodinma.
“Apparently, the daughter of the woman, who is an online porn artist, sold her phone to our brother who in turn sold it to another person who saw the porn movies where the girl featured and started circulating it.
“When the girl got it, she thought it was the person she sold the phone to that was circulating it not knowing that it is not him as he has sold off the phone.
“So, it was out of fury that the lady, her mother and her mother’s husband stormed Mendis’s shop and without hearing from him the mother started stabbing him until he slumped and died,’’ Ngwoke said.
He added that they were there on that day for a peaceful protest outside the court premises demanding that the deceased must get justice.
He noted that ONSA leadership was there not only to show solidarity but to make sure that Nigerians did not take the law into their hand and should not act in any manner that might contravene the country’s law.
Ngwoke said that already two witnesses had come up and one of them who spoke to ONSA, promised that they would always come to court any day the case was fixed to make sure that justice was served.
Members of ONSA executive committee present at the court were, the President, Deputy President, Secretary-General, Chief Protocol Officer and his assistant.
Addressing the people who gathered, Sunny Wenike Douglas, thanked them for coming out en masse to show solidarity.
However, he urged them to restrain themselves from doing anything that was capable of jeopardising or truncating the ongoing investigation.
He equally beseeched them to shun any act of violence and criminality of any sorts and go about their normal business and continue to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
Ngwoke said that ONSA leadership was on top of the case and would continue to monitor the situation closely and not hesitate to report developments to their forum as it unfolded.
