The community is not just losing Ide to death, but also losing Batista to South Africa prison. It was double tragedies for the community.
The death of Ide in South Africa caused a chain of reactions in both men’s community in Imo State, in Nigeria. Angry youths were said to have set the house of Batista on fire in protest of the death of Ide.
However, our reporter, who visited the community yesterday, received conflicting reports on the characters of both men.
A member of the community, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The deceased was my close buddy, but he and his cousin used to trouble our community before they left for South Africa. Frankly, nobody in this village knows what both men do in South Africa for a living. One thing I know, however, is that Nsofor had never backed away from a fight. Before they left the shores of Nigeria for South Africa, they had worked with some politicians, especially during elections. In fact, it was some illustrious sons of the community that supported and contributed money to send both men to South Africa.”
The state Police Command has confirmed the burning down of Batista’s home by angry youths of Ubulu community. The angry youths claimed that Batista had breached a deal in an unnamed business in which the deceased was his surety.
It was further alleged that all efforts by Ide to get Batista to fulfil his part of the bargain and free him from liability was futile, leading to the fisticuffs that ended in fatality.
