US Police begin manhunt for Nigerian’s killers

New York — The Police in New York have begun manhunt of two suspects connected with the gruesome stabbing to death of a Nigerian in Brownsville area of  Brooklyn, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

According to local media, the deceased, Uro Ama Orji, 54, and a cab driver in the area, was said to have been stabbed in the eye with an umbrella.

After he had been wounded, his vehicle crashed into two parked sport-utility vehicles at Lott Avenue and Boyland Street at about 5:30 p.m.

Orji, who resided in Queens, was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Following the development, a 5,000-dollar reward was offered for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.

The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers offered a 3,000-dollar reward, while the group of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care offered another 2,000-dollars.

Police said they were looking for a man and woman who were passengers in the cab and seen running from the scene. A video showed the man getting out of the cab, opening the front door of the vehicle and stabbing Orji with an umbrella.

“It’s clearly on that video. You have a female and male, and the male runs, the young lady walking away, perhaps guilt got the best of her.

“This is a total outrage. This is just a guy trying to make a buck to probably feed himself and his family only to have his life taken for less than 10 dollars or maybe 20 dollars, which is close to the average fare one would pay for a local ride inside Brooklyn”, community advisor, Tony Herbert, said.

“It’s a very dangerous job, a very dangerous business,” Fernando Mateo, President of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers also said.

Community activists are asking a UPS driver who might have witnessed the incident to come forward.

Orji, a father of five children, came from Nigeria to U.S. 10 years ago to make a better living for his family.

His children, whose ages are from 13 to 22, arrived in U.S. from Nigeria in December.

“It’s still early, fresh. They are still in the denial stage,” said Orji’s brother, Agwu Ana Agwu.

His sister-in-law, Chinedum Agwu, said he was a good father who was just trying to make ends meet.

“He was a very dedicated, loving father. An innocent man who was just working hard to make sure his kids eat. Everything he was doing was to take care of his children.

“ It’s horrible. How do you do something like that? How do you wake up and have in your mind to go out and hurt somebody?” she said.


-- Vanguard