The cold hands of death touched George Onyekachi Onuoha on Sunday, an Nigerian man based in Indonesia who was brutally beaten to his death by a gang of bad boys in the country. The President of the Nigerian community in Indonesia, Chief Omeogo Okolie, who confirmed the incident said the gang recognized as ‘Ambon boys’ at Tangerang, in the province of Banten targeted George and killed him.
The victim, late George Onyekachi Onuoha Okolie said, “We can confirm the sudden death of our brother, Late Mr George Onyekachi Onuoha, (Mazi) who was murdered by suspected Ambon boys at Tangerang yesterday, 9th July 2023,” he said. “Preliminary information on the cause of his death is NOT a case of missed identity, it shows he was a target, but police have officially commenced an investigation, there is no arrest so far, also the embassy is waiting for the official report from the police on this which we hope will come soon, but we trust soon all those involved both insider and outsider will be arrested and the full update on that will also be made public for Nigerians to know. “So far, we plead with everyone to remain calm, law abiding, and careful as we wait patiently. Meanwhile, the body of our brother has been deposited to the mortuary at the moment.” Another Nigerian, who witnessed the incident told SaharaReporters that the reason for the action remains unknown. “This happened on Sunday morning in Indonesia, our brother, a Nigerian man was mobbed and killed by the locals. This is not the first time. It keeps happening and the embassy is useless. They do nothing,” he said. Friends of George are also in grief as they share different tributes on their social media handles, see screenshots below.
In a similar incident, a Nigerian student identified as Ifeanyichukwu Oseke was fatally stabbed to death during a reported fight in a Scarborough plaza in Canada in June. According to the Toronto Police, the sad incident happened in the Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue East area shortly after 7 p.m. “Information was received that two individuals had been fighting in the plaza. One of them had some serious injuries that required an emergency run to a local hospital,” said Toronto Police Service Duty Inspector Jeff Bangild at the scene Sunday night. “Unfortunately, one person has succumbed to their injuries. The victim in this matter has not yet been identified as the investigation is ongoing.” According to a report by CP24, Ifeanyichukwu Oseke died on the way to the hospital and the incident is now being treated as a homicide.
The decision to remove the Asian nation as host of the tournament starting in May was taken by FIFA after the Indonesian football federation (PSSI) said it had cancelled the draw because the governor of Bali refused to host Israel’s team. FIFA said in a statement; “FIFA has decided, due to the current circumstances, to remove Indonesia as the host of the U-20 World Cup 2023. “A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged. Potential sanctions against the PSSI may also be decided at a later stage.” 