Cornelius Ubara 23, a native of Oruk-Anam in Akwa Ibom State lived at No…..Airport Rd Lugbe village , Abuja until April 2016 when he relocated to another area in the Federal Capital Territory.
People change accommodation all the time but Cornelius did not just change accommodation something forced him and that “something” was the intimidation and the fear of his landlord- Mr Alexander Osuji.
But in June 2016, when the Ubara’s family have waited for the calls of their only son which normally comes at least once a day for almost a month to no avail, they decided to send the immediate older sister- Christiana Ubara to go to Abuja and find out why Cornelius GSM number was switched off for more than a month and why the young a man - a keyboardist and a devoted member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God - Everlasting Light Parish had refused to call home.
So Christiana left for Abuja and the story was unfolded, first Christian’s version:
“My brother – Cornelius Obot Ubara 23 was a tenant at Airport Rd Lugbe Village Abuja. On the 13th November 2015 when he returned to his house from Church which he spent the night being a Prayer Vigil for the Choir, he went straight to bed and slept off.
Later in the day, his landlord daughter - Precious came to his room asking for bottle opener to open a soft drink that was with her, he told her he didn’t have an opener but can help her with his teeth if she didn’t mind and she accepted that offer, then he asked what she was celebrating and that he wouldn’t mind having bottle for himself too.
After opening the drink for her, she went and brought him a bottle of 7up, he finished drinking and returned the bottle to her in the presence of her parents and went back to his single room apartment.
He never knew what transpired after that or where Precious went from there until in the evening when the news got to him that Precious was missing.
Three days later, my brother was arrested by the police in connection with the missing girl because he accepted a bottle of soft drink.
But after interrogation by the Police, he was released on bail when the police found out he was innocent and there was no evidence to connect him with the missing or the kidnapped girl. But all hell broke loose because Mr Osuji didn’t take it kindly; he accused the Police of taking bribe from Ubara and compromising the case.
Mr Osuji said Cornelius must miss because his daughter was missing.
On hearing the happenings in Abuja, my parents were very disturbed and told Cornelius to look for another accommodation so he did and eventually packed out.
Not quite long after we didn’t hear anything from him again, his phone was always switched off. So my parents asked me to come to Abuja and check what was going on and I came.
When we went to the new place he packed to, we were told that the property has been sold to a new owner that no one is living there at the moment.
I started asking people in the street about my brother describing him to them and a man called me aside and asked me if I was sure I was a relation to the young man I said yes.
He then told me that the former landlord came there with armed men suspected to be SSS and whisked him away. So I called my parents and told them the whole situation and they advised me to go to the DSS and find out, so I did.
At the DSS office, they asked me to write a letter stating my case and request to see my brother, they collected the letter from me but until today no member of my family has been allowed to see my brother. My brother has been in detention since May.
Please we are calling on the general public to beg the SSS to release my brother, because he is being accused wrongly. My brother is not a kidnapper and he will never be.
He is been called a kidnapper and portrayed as a hardened criminal by Mr Osuji and the SSS. My grandma is down with stroke because of the shocking news of Cornelius detention.
My brother is an aspiring Gospel Artiste, a pianist and a church worker in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. He is not a criminal, he has not lived criminal life before. Please DSS don’t let my brother die in detention because he is innocent of what he has been accused.”
Mr Alexander Osuji’s version of this story was published in Vanguard Newspaper of 11th June 2016. An extract from that publication reads… “ On 13th November 2015.
I left my daughter at home while she was eating. I went to the bank to withdraw some money for her since she has exam the following day. I left home at about 2.14pm.
The younger sister Chioma returned home from school at 2.30 and she did not meet Precious at home, the person she saw was Cornelius Ubara, a tenant in the same compound.
When I returned home in the evening, the same Cornelius met me, telling me that Chioma came home; so in my mind I began to wonder because he had no business telling m that Chioma came home and I never ask him to give me any information whether Chioma was around or not.
I then asked him if Chioma saw Precious when she arrived, but he said no. So me and my wife started calling Precious’ phone line but it was switched off……..”
You can read more of Mr Osuji’s story on Vanguard. (I will add the parts that matter when I get on line).
Now what is going on?
This is the case as it were, at last we have heard the two sides though Vera Crimes didn’t hear directly from Mr Osuji mouth but goes by the Vanguard reports which stated that effort to rescue his daughter was frustrated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of investigation in the Federal Capital Territory Command, Mr Agyole Abe.
Vera Crimes gathered that the IPO - Inspector Mary in charge of the case at the Lugbe Police Divisional Headquarters was petitioned against for compromise in the same case.
Now the question is; when will the SSS charge Mr Cornelius Ubara to court? Mr Osuji is looking for his daughter and likewise Mr and Mrs Obot Ubara are also looking for their son whom they think is wrongly being detained by the SSS since May without any trial without notifying the family.
Cornelius mother told Vera Crimes that she only confirmed her son’s arrest and detention when her brother in Lagos sent her a link of Vanguard newspaper of 2nd July telling the world that her son was arrested in a hideout in one of the states in the south west as reported by the same Vanguard’s Reporter - Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief.
Cornelius’ lawyer, Barr. Eric said since he took up Ubara’s case, it took him almost a month to see the suspect, it was like getting water in a desert. And he has done all what it should take for the SSS to charge the suspect to court with no avail.
“What does the SSS want? What do they want to achieve by the continuing detention of this young man? If they feel he is guilty they should try him in court to remove all doubts. They know quite well that its wrong for them to detain someone continuously like that without Court appearance.
They have not yet fully explained how a bottle of 7up linked Ubara to kidnapping of his landlord’s daughter; we really hope to see all parties in Court, if they are sure they have their man, we are ready to prove them wrong in court.”…he added.
Vera Crimes Blog will keep you posted on this story as it unfolds, we are eager to see Mr Cornelius Ubara try in a Court of law, and we are also interested to find out how he manage to kidnapped Precious Ubara within 16 minutes of her father leaving her at home, took her to a hideout and returned to witness her younger sister- Chioma arrival from school.
We will also love to know why Mr Ubara did not send a text messages asking for ransom instead of talking about lesson teacher and the rest of it. And most importantly we will like to know why the lesson teacher mentioned in the said Precious text is not in SSS custody.
Did Precious Osuji disappeared into thin air as Cornelius Ubara was drinking the soft drink so that she can reappear somewhere else? Well that would be called voodoo and not kidnapping but the SSS has to prove it first.
And we hope to see our dear colleague in Crime Reporting Mr Emma Ujah in Court on that day so that he can learn a lesson or two on what investigating journalism is all about.
He should learn not to send suspects to jail with his reporting, it’s the Court that has that right. The Cornelius Ubara whose pictures appeared above doesn’t look or sound like kidnapper to us, or a questionable character, going by his Facebook account, his church members report of him, some of his neighbours etc.
Now, who is keeping Miss Precious Ubara to bring this heart wrenching and untold trauma and torment to the Ubara’s family? Time will tell.
MY TAKE
I feel very bittered when I finished reading this. I learnt the SSS threatened to arrest whoever that publish this and I have decided to take the challenge and wait for the arrest.
The questions are: Where is CORNELIUS UBARA? Why do SSS keep him in custody for over a year now? What evidence do they have that they can't charge him to court? Why do they denied his Lawyer access to him for over a year now? All these we must find out in few days.
For the record, we would not fold our hands to see Akwa Ibom people being turn to slaves in any part of this country. Cornelius like every other Nigerians have the right to live anywhere in the country.
Just received a call how my cousin was attacked in the same area just after escorting a member of Akwa Ibom Youth Group after a meeting.
Enough of this nonsense please. We want the SSS to tell the whole world why Cornelius Ubara is in detention for over a year now.
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