Sometimes, life hits you with news that leaves you completely speechless.
A few days ago, I came across a video that shook me to the core. It was about one of the accomplices of that Enugu native doctor who was recently arrested for ritual killings. To my shock, the name mentioned was Uche Kingsley, popularly known as Agumba—a name I’ve known for years.
At first, I wasn’t sure it was the same Uche I knew. The name, the nickname, the location—it all sounded too familiar. But I brushed it off. I told myself it must be someone else. After all, the Uche I knew was a deeply religious man, someone who never missed church programs and was even known to travel from Aba to Enugu for special Catholic events. He was one of those people who would question your faith if you missed church. He often challenged me for not being as "serious" with religion as he was.
But when I watched the video again and heard that the man dealt in furniture materials at Ariaria, Aba—it hit me. I knew this Uche. This was the same guy I once shared memories with. Out of curiosity and concern, I searched for him online. And when I saw his pictures, my heart dropped. It was truly him—Uche Agumba.
We go way back. Uche served a man from Uga Anambra state (whose name I’ll leave out here), and I remember when he got settled around 2011 or 2012 after serving for seven years. We were all young men trying to make it. I recall one particular day we returned from Port Harcourt, and he said to me, “Before I get married, I must be a very wealthy man.” I reminded him that he was the only son of his parents. He nodded and said, “I know—but this is what I must do.”
Everyone who was in the building materials line at Ariaria back then knew Uche. From 2005 to 2011 to 2013, and now. we trained together at Osusu Primary School field before I moved out of Aba. I can’t remember him ever missing church. He was deeply involved in religious activities—chartering buses to Enugu weekly, buying and selling bottles of anointed water and yoghurt after the programs. I checked his Facebook recently—he still shares posts from those same church programs.
What breaks my heart is the double life he was living. Reports say he was caught trying to abduct a little girl to renew his ritual charms. His arrest reportedly led to the discovery of a native doctor who was burying his victims in soakaway pits. I still can’t wrap my head around it.
I called a friend in Ariaria to confirm, and he told me it was true—Uche is the one. He also said Uche is still religious. The same church stickers are all over his shop, his car, and even his house. It’s like he never stopped pretending.
I’m not here to judge, but this has left me shaken. Someone we knew, someone we trained with, someone we thought stood for God—now exposed as a ritualist and kidnapper?
Uche Agumba... what happened to you? How did we get here?
This world, truly, is deeper than we think.
