Human heads discovery: ‘My husband was set up’

Mrs. Nkiru Mokwe, the wife of the owner of Upper Class Hotel, Onitsha, where human heads were recovered by security agents on Thursday has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark to save the life of her husband.

She insisted that her husband, Bonaventure Mokwe, was set up.

Bonaventure was arrested along with 10 other people in connection with the recovery of the two human heads in the hotel.

The hotel was on Friday demolished on the orders of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State.

Nkiru said the life of her husband was in danger and urged the President and the Senate President to come to their rescue before it was too late.

Nkiru, a lawyer, who spoke to reporters in Onitsha on Saturday, said the whole story was a set up, adding that her husband’s enemies were in a hurry to destroy him and his business.

“My husband is being detained in a very dehumanising condition at SARS, Awkuzu, and the police have denied him access to his lawyer and relations.

“My husband’s hotel at No 8, Old Market Road, Onitsha which he inherited from his father, Chief G.C Mokwe, has been demolished,” she said.

She alleged also that the government threatened to demolish his plaza at Ose-Okwodu and other properties belonging to him and his family and confiscate all his assets.

She wondered why the police in Anambra state did not act on the matter until Inspector General’s office send men to the hotel based on a petition written on July 2, 2013.

She claimed that the human heads might have been planted by people who were bent on nailing her husband and draw attention from the main issues in contention.

She said her husband dealt in lands and real estate and there were lots of conflicts over ownership of lands between him and some persons which led to the shooting of her husband on March 9, 2009.

Nkiru said about four of the disputes were pending in court and wondered why the masterminds of her husband wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police alleging that her husband stored human heads and arms in his hotel.

She further alleged that the masterminds of her husband’s arrest got approval of their petition and smuggled in two rusty objects which the police claimed were human skulls and arms into one of the commercial rooms in the hotel on or before the arrival of the police.

She prayed that her husband be charged to court or granted bail.