How 21-yr-Old Pastor Was Murdered in Calabar by Otu's Security Aide as Mother Cries Foul
How 21-yr-Old Pastor Was Murdered in Calabar By Otu's Security Aide As Mother Cries Foul
By Judex OKORO
FRESH facts have emerged on how a 21-year-old boy, Moses Mba, was brutally beaten and shot dead by security aides attached to Governor Otu's residence at State Housing Estate, Calabar.
The young Moses had gone to preach the gospel and share a vision he claimed he had for the state with the Governor, but could not succeed in delivering his divine message.
Moses mother, Mrs Victoria Mba, had cried foul, saying her son was on a special evangelical mission and not a criminal or mentally deranged as claimed by the trigger-happy police officer.
Mrs. Mba Victoria,40, is a business woman and hails from Item community in Abia State but based in Calabar, Cross River.
Who is Onyekachi
Onyekachi Moses Mba is the first son of the family and would have turned 22 years old in November 2025.
The young Onyekachi was very pious, a gifted preacher and servant of God. His family and neighbours attested to his high level of evangelism.
Before his untimely death, Onyekachi was said to be moving from house-to-house preaching the word of God and prophesying to neighbours and friends. He dreams and interprets dreams to people.
Some of his neighbours, who spoke off record, described Onyekachi as 'child of God'. Others called him, "young Joseph, the dreamer.' a few called him "young Pastor."
His parents had once cautioned him to slow down and finish his education before venturing into his pastoral calling.
Onyekachi just finished his SSS and his result was fantastic. In JAMB, he scored 195 and wanted to study Business Adminstration, University of Calabar. His 2025 JAMB details are Name: Onyekachi Mba Moses Akwari Reg no: 202551103806JF; UTME result Eng:55, ECO: 55, MAT: 42 and COM: 43 with aggregate of 195.
How did it happen?
However, THE BEAGLE NEWS investigations revealed that on that fateful day, Onyekachi had gone to the residence of Governor Bassey Otu at State Housing Estate to preach the word of God to the number one citizen.
On getting to the gate, he was accosted by security aides attached to the residence and was told to go back that Governor is not around. He insisted on delivering his message and the security sent him away.
After a few minutes, Onyekachi was said to have returned to the same place insisting on preaching but the police officer accosted him and started beating him up.
A source said Onyekachi was not armed but tried to resist and officers beat him and hit him severally on the head with the gun and later shot him on the right knee.
A resident, who doesn't want his name on print, said the police shot severally into the air and they thought criminals have invaded the neighbourhood.
Having shot Onyekachi, the police dragged him to corner of the street and left him there in the pool of his blood untill good Samaritans and some Red Cross people came out and rushed him to Navy hospital where he eventually gave up the ghost.
But a security source told THE BEAGLE NEWS that when the security aides told Onyekachi to leave the residence, he refused and they pushed him out.
According to the source, rather than Onyekachi to leave the place, he picked some objects and started stoning into the compound, which led to the police officer opening fire and shot him on the leg.
The source further said they didn't mean to kill him, but to scare him away even as he was beaten mercilessly and shot, adding after shooting an armed person, they abandoned him there to die.
According to the source, Moses was shot around 11 am. and it was not until 7 p.m. that the Red Cross came to carry him to the hospital.
Mother speaks, demands for justice
Speaking with THE BEAGLE NEWS in Calabar on Saturday, August 30, 2025, Mrs. Mba Victoria, narrated:
"On Friday, August 1, 2025,I and my husband came back from our journey. Around 6 o'clock, my husband got a call that we should rush to Navy Hospital.
"On reaching there, we saw my son, who will be turning 22 years by November lying in the hospital unconscious. There too, we saw some security personnel on mufti. They were mounted around my son. So, they asked us to identify ourselves, which we did. My husband showed them where he was working.
"And my son was able to identify us as his parents. So, when we came in, we asked. So, when we came in, we asked him what happened. He said he went to the governor's house to preach the word of God to the governor.
"Actually, I don't really know the place and the police people did not give him an audience. They asked him to leave. And when he left, he still came back and was pleading with them that even if it's PA or anybody he wants to see them. That he has a vision and wants to preach the word of God.
"So, after a long argument, they started beating him. Before they beat him, the first of all asked him where he was from. My son told them that he was from Abia state.
"So, I didn't know what transpired again. What they did then was to beat him. They used the head of gun, baton, so many things. And they were beating him as if he was a criminal. They were not satisfied. They shot him on his left leg and left him in his own pool of blood there for him to die. Since then I and my husband have been in shock.
Red Cross to the rescue
"So, after a few hours, my son said the Red Cross came in and took him to Navy hospital.
"They said their office is very close to the place and they heard a gun shot. And they came out to know what happened. On reaching there, they saw a boy in his pool of blood. And they were the ones that even rushed him to the hospital. They were the ones that paid the bills for us.
"They assisted us a lot in the bill. So that they can commence his treatment. Before they were even able to reach us there.
So, when we got there, we even met the Red Cross people. We introduced ourselves.
However, the doctor that was supposed to do operation on his leg because of the severity of the case was was not on duty. The
N1.3m for the operation was paid by the Red Cross people.
Onyekachi operated on August 4
" So, on August 4, the operation was done. The operation took hours and when they they came out, we were happy believing God that a miracle would be done. But they asked us to buy clutches for him. So, we were hopeful.
"But my son was critically down on Thursday, August 6 and they brought oxygen and we became worried, especially when the doctor said he needed blood. It was not all about the shooting of a gun. So, we didn't know my son had internal bleeding. Which was draining the blood in the system.
"They said we need to pay N20,000 for the blood. And he needs 5 litres of blood. So, we paid immediately. The first blood was given to me. Within a few hours, that one was gone. They kept on administering the blood as if it was drink. Even Navy securities were still there. So, anything that we do to them. For any drugs that would be given to my son.
"There is always a form. The hospital people would give us to fill. Then we would photocopy it and give them to the hospital. Red Cross people too would get their own copy. Police would also get their own copy. Because they were after whatever thing was being given to that boy.
"They wanted to get information of whatever thing that would be given to him. And they told us that the Governor was interested in the case because Governor did not want him to die. The Governor wanted the boy to tell him who sent him.
"There was this S.A. to the governor, that calls himself Emmanuel Godswill. He was the person that was giving us information with other security men. They were changing security men every interval. Morning, afternoon, night.
Day Onyekachi finally died
"So, they were being carried along. And Saturday of August 9, around 10, 11, my son passed away. When my son passed away, we reached out to them, we called them on phone and told them that this boy has died.
"The hospital said we cannot deposit his body in the mortuary. That we have to wait for government people to come before we can do that. So, we waited for them. We waited for them. They didn't arrive till around 4 o'clock, Sunday, August 10, before we deposited his corpse in the mortuary.
"After that, we called the same Emmanuel Dickson on phone. When we called him on phone, we not told him what happened. We told him that the more people requested, we should pay N54,000 for the embalmment. And the man sent N50,000 for the embalmment.
Day Commissioner of police went to see the corpse
"Then, on Monday, August 11, 2025, they went to the morgue with the commissioner of police and some men. I didn't know why they went there. The morgue people now called me on phone.
"They said they want to see the corpse of the boy and we said no problem. After the whole incident, they called us to come to state CID, that the commissioner of police wants to see us. We now asked them why? Since you say the governor is interested in this case, we want to see the governor so that we can talk with the governor. We don't want to see the commissioner of police. Then man he started threatening us.
"He said that we want to enrich ourselves with the death of my son, that the least that can happen, they will just give us N3m and we'll go and bury the boy. That we can't do anything, that the governor is involved in this case. You know?
We petitioned Zone 6 Police command
So, my husband and I wrote a petition to Zone 6. And Zone 6 sent a signal to them to provide those people that worked on August 1, 2026 and those men that were mounted in my son's clinic in that period. So, till date, nothing has been done. They've not given us feedback. Nobody's saying anything. And the AIG said you can't bury this boy because it is a murder case and that so many things are involved. So, currently, I can't bury my son. Nobody's telling us anything.
Dream caught short
The boy wanted to study business administration. How can he do that? His WASC was perfect. So, how can he be mental? How? I don't know. We even gave him money to go and pick aptitude test form.
" I can tell you that my son never had any issue because he wrote the last JAMB and had 195. His WAEC result is perfect. He was to study Business Administration at the University of Calabar. They are saying all I need is money, and that N3m will make me keep quiet.
"My son was not a criminal, neither was he armed. They killed him and abandoned me after all my sweat.
Justice is all we want.
"A boy who wrote JAMB, first time and scored 196. His WEAC results are perfect. My son has a desire to serve God, even at a tender age. He is this boy that sometimes he can sleep and share his dreams it with us.
"He had a passion for Christ. And we were telling him to, first of all, finish with school before he can go to Bible school. We have heard that security people said my son has a psychiatric issue.
"But all we can say is we want
justice. I want the people that shot my son. The people that beat my son. I want justice
"We are appealing to Nigerians, human rights organisations, and relevant authorities to intervene and ensure justice is served. They should please help me. I want justice for my son, who is still in the Mortuary," she cried out.
Government condemns act
Meanwhile, the government of Cross River has condemned the beaten and shooting of Moses Mba that subsequently led to his death.
The state commissioner for information, Mr Erasmus Ekpang, in a statement , however, exonerated the governor's security aide, but condemned in strong terms the alleged reckless conduct of a police officer that led to the death of 21-year-old Onyekachi Moses in Calabar.
According to the statement, Governor Otu had directed the Commissioner of Police to ensure the immediate arrest and thorough investigation of the officer implicated in the incident.
“This administration reaffirms that impunity has no sanctuary. Those entrusted with protecting lives cannot become purveyors of fear and tragedy. Any officer who betrays this sacred duty will be made to face the full weight of the law.”
The governor further described the incident as both “a violation of human dignity and an affront to the principles of justice, security, and order which his government has sworn to uphold.
While extending his condolences to the bereaved family, Otu assured that justice would not be delayed or denied,
“This government shall not rest until the memory of the departed is honoured with transparent accountability while we extend our condolences to the bereaved family, "urging citizens to remain calm, peaceful, and confident in the state’s collective resolve to seek truth and enforce justice."
However, speaking with newsmen, Ekpang also alleged that the boy (deceased) was not mentally okay and that the house he went was actually the governor's former residence.
According to Ekpang, "firstly, the house is not where the governor presently resides and secondly, only one security person was there when the boy visited.
"There is video evidence that the boy was throwing big stones at the policeman. He was not mentally okay and, at a point, has to apologise for throwing stones.
"In spite of this, we condemn the beaten and shooting of the boy. It is not something that we should be happy about, no matter what."
Police commissioner confirms case
However, the Commissioner for Police said the matter is before the DPP for advice.
"Whatever the DPP advice, we will follow," he stated
