Sunday Ununu: Nigerian lawyer ‘mistakenly kills orphan after firing gunshots in jubilation’

A joyous occasion turned deadly when a lawyer, Sunday Ununu, fired a handgun into the air to celebrate the election of new leaders for the Izzi Unuphu community’s Power of Attorney in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state. 

Unfortunately, one of the stray bullets struck and killed an orphan, Nnamdi Ugo Nwite, who succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, SaharaReporters learnt on Monday.

Ununu, brother of former Ebonyi State House of Assembly member Joseph Ununu, was reportedly celebrating the election victory of his loyalist to a key position in the group, which manages land in the area. 

Meanwhile, the incident has raised concerns about the free use of firearms by non-state actors.

The Ebonyi state police command has confirmed the incident and arrested the lawyer. 

An eyewitness, who spoke with SaharaReporters on Monday, on condition of anonymity, described the event as unfortunate, highlighting the recklessness of civilians carrying firearms without restraint.

The eyewitness said: “Unfortunately, a bullet hit Ugo In the nose and it pierced through his mouth and he died.

“The deceased lost his parents and he had no close relatives. Nobody is talking about the matter but the family of the Lawyer and the deceased distant relatives are negotiating with a view to cover up the incident.

“I even heard that a particular amount has been promised to the deceased’s distant relatives for his burial and to cover up the matter.”

The video of the celebration and the shooting by Ununu has been trending on social media with the lawyer seen in a yellow T-shirt.

When contacted, the state police command said the suspect had been arrested.

The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the arrest, said, “I don’t know the details of that matter but I am aware of what you are saying. He is in our custody. It’s just that the circumstances are what I don’t know.”

Meanwhile, efforts to arraign the suspect on Friday were scuttled as his supporters invaded the court complex in Abakaliki, SaharaReporters learnt.

The scuttled arraignment was the third time the police attempted to arraign the suspect in court but failed due to pressure from his family and political associates.

The charges against him were filed at Magistrate Court of Ebonyi State, Abakaliki Magisterial District and marked MAB/512/2024 – Commissioner of Police VS. Ununu Sunday Uguru ‘M’ 45yrs.

The two counts charge read: “That you Ununu Sunday Uguru ‘m’ on the 21” day of August, 2024 at Agbaja Unuhu, in the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did murder one Nnamdi Nwite ‘m’ by shooting him with gun and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap.33 Vol.1 Laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria, 2009.

“That you Ununu Sunday Uguru ‘m’ on the same date and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did unlawfully have in your possession or under your control one brownie pistol without license and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 11 of Ebonyi State Internal Security Enforcement and other related matters Law 2009.”

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that gun may have snatched from a police officer, one Sgt Emeka Nwali in 2019. Nwali was later dismissed from police and killed under suspicious circumstances during #EndSARS protests in 2020.

A source who had been following development told SaharaReporters that during the 2019 general elections, Joseph Ununu, elder brother of Sunday Ununu, Esq. had a traditional marriage ceremony in which he gave out his daughter in marriage. 

The source said, “During the ceremony, Sergeant Emeka Nwali, then serving with the Nigerian police under the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit in Abakaliki walked into the ceremony as an extended family member of Ununus. 

“But on stepping his feet into the compound, some boys started shouting, ‘Who goes there?’ a local slang to question the presence of a supposed interloper or unwanted guest. The boys went ahead to pounce on Sgt Nwali (who was in mufti), prompting him to make a bid to run for his safety. But unfortunately for him, he tripped and the boys in a sort of mob action manhandled him and snatched his service gun.

“Later the police officer returned to the ceremony and almost in tears, complained to the chief host, Joseph Ununu about the incident. Ununu reportedly assured him that he would find out about the matter and ensure that his gun was returned to him. 

“The police man couldn’t return to Abakaliki that day as he waited for the next day to see if Ununu would fulfill the promise of recovering and returning his gun to him. But it was a promise never kept.”

The source, who described the fresh event as justice, said, “Later on, some prominent indigenes of the community waded in, in an effort to resolve the problem since the police officer was about to be dismissed from service. But all to no avail.”

According to source, the general belief in the community is that the gun used by Ununu in the shooting is the same gun that was snatched from the police officer in 2019.

He said, “That police officer, Sergeant Nwali was later dismissed from the police for being unable to account for the missing gun. Ununu later won the election into the state House of Assembly.

“Out of frustration, the dismissed policeman took to drinking and a live of hopelessness. But he kept saying that one day, that gun will surface. The dismissed police officer later contacted a lawyer to help fight for his reinstatement into the police force. The lawyer sued the Nigerian police.

“During the #EndSARS protests in 2020, Sgt Nwali was unfortunately shot dead under suspicious circumstances. At the time he was shot dead, his case in court seeking his reinstatement was about to get to the judgement stage. Later, the judgement came in his favour but he was already dead.

“Incidentally the current CP, Augustina Ogbodo was the one who investigated the missing gun then as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and even arrested Ununu in connection with the missing gun. 

“He was detained and charged to court but the state government then under Chief David Umahi, entered nulle-prosequi. The matter ended due to that political interference. The Commissioner of Police then was Titus Larmode. Ununu was freed by the police and he went ahead to contest and declared winner of the election in the state Assembly, where he is currently in his second term.

“The most heart-rending aspect of the story is that Sgt Nwali’s spirit is still hovering around as his remains have yet to be buried since 2020. 

“At a point the family applied to the police to retrieve the body for burial but the same people who confiscated his gun wrote a petition branding him a member of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and that if he is buried in the community, IPOB members would burn down the House of the Assembly member, Ununu.”

“Because of that, the remains of the deceased policeman have not been buried. Maybe his spirit is now fighting back,” the source told SaharaReporters.