26-year-old Okechuku Izuchukwu Iwuchukwu, a tricycle (keke)
operator, allegedly died in the hands of some men of the Nigeria
Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Orji, Imo state.
Okey, as he was popularly called, was the only child of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sunday Iwuchukwu.
Okey's wife, Mrs. Obianuju Iwuchukwu, is expecting the couple’s first child.
Traditional ruler of the community and the Acting
Commandant General, Imo State Peace Advocate Corps, Hon. Peter C. Ohagwa
were sent by the state governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, to plead with
the people to of the town to maintain peace. Their pleas calmed the
people of the community and averted a reprisal.
According to eyewitnesses, Okechukwu, who recently returned from
Pakistan where he went in search of greener pastures before going into
the keke
transport business, was allegedly returning from work
when he saw some group of people lying on the ground, so he thought some
robbers were operating in the area.
He turned round to escape, but two officers of the NSCDC who were
operating an illegal checkpoint in the area reportedly opened fire on
him, killing him instantly.
In a petition sent to the Imo State Police Commissioner through their
lawyer, Mr. Williams N. Opara of Osuoha, Opara & Co.,
Ahuruole-Florence Chambers, Owerri, the family expressed shock that the
killers of their only child branded the deceased an armed robber who had
a shoot-out with them.
The petition partly reads:
“It is our brief that our client’s only child was gruesomely murdered by
Inspector Ekere Harrison Ifeanyi and Sergeant Ojoko Paul, who are men
of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to its
headquarters in Owerri on Saturday, the 25th day of July, 2015 at about
11.00pm when he was riding home on his way back from work at Old ELF
Petrol Station situate along Umundula, Owaelu, Owalla Road, Off Orji
Junction.
“Sir, it is our further briefing that it took these men of the Civil
Defence Corps a period of five hours between 11.00pm to 4.00am to lodge a
false report of a shoot-out with “armed robbers” at the Divisional
Police Station, Orji which is a distance of less than one kilometre from
the scene of the incident. And within the period, we are briefed, these
men from the Civil Defence Corps were able to get an old and unused
gun, one expended bullet and one live bullet which they planted on the
body of our client’s son in order to brand him as “an armed robber” in
order to justify their cruel and extra judicial killing of our client’s
son.
“Sir, it is our brief that there was no report of any robbery and or
armed robbery incident in the neighbourhood and or vicinity on the day
our client’s son was killed. It is also our briefing that people were
still carrying on with their various businesses around the scene and
around the junction area.”
The petition stressed that the victim once rode a keke on hire purchase
basis for somebody, which he eventually inherited and sold to a Civil
Defence officer before the one in which he was killed was bought for him
by his father.
The family called on the state police boss to use his good office to
investigate the death of their son and bring the culprits to book.
One of the natives of Owaelu, who pleaded anonymity, said that the
murder of Okechukwu was a big blow to the community, and that the
traditional ruler even cried for the young man and his family.
He said:
“Okey is such a quiet boy who is loved by all. In fact, this is darkness
for this family. Most annoying is branding this boy an armed robber,
but they have failed in that because it happened where people were. It
took these officers four hours to report the matter at the Orji police
station. They used this period of interlude to organise an obsolete
locally made gun and claimed they found it in his keke. When it became
clear to them that the incident took place near living homes and that
people saw what happened, they went to Governor Rochas Okorocha to
intervene and plead with the family.
“In fact, it was when the senior police officer saw the gun that he got
angry and sent his men to go and arrest the guys, and we are happy that
they have been arrested and detained. So we plead with the President,
Attorney General of the Federation, Imo State Governor, Imo State Chief
Judge, Commissioner for Justice and all the authorities concerned to
give us justice. His father has been down with stroke and his pregnant
wife can no longer cope as he is the only son and the bread winner of
the family.”
Father of the deceased, who is in his late 60s said:
“I am finished. My son is very responsible and does not look for
problem. He hardly talks. He had before now travelled to Pakistan for
greener pastures but it did not work out and he returned home. And
instead of staying idle before any other trip could be arranged for him,
he began this keke thing. You can see I have been down with stroke and
he is the one taking care of all of us.
“The first keke he used was on hire purchase. He completed the money and
it became his. But when the engine started to gulp oil, he dropped it
and I bought him this one. He then sold that one to a Civil Defence
officer and he has not even paid him for it.
“That night we were waiting for him to return. When the time passed, we
called his number severally and it was not going. We all became worried
and in the morning somebody called his wife and told him to come to the
police station, that she should come with one of our brothers who they
said was the last person he called. When they got to the police and
seeing the condition of the wife, they asked them to go, pretending he
was in the cell. They later called the man out and told him that he was
in the hospital.
“When the young man came back and reported the matter, he went with some
people to see him in the hospital as the police did not tell them he
was dead. They went with the police to Aladinma Hospital and they moved
round the whole ward and could not see him. After a long time, they now
asked the nurses and it was the nurses that led them to the mortuary
where they deposited him. He was brought there dead and taken straight
to the mortuary.
“Why would people be this wicked? What shall I do now? I want the
government to bring those that killed my son to book. I want justice for
my son. This is too much for us to bear. Look at his pregnant wife.
Why? Why?”
However, when the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew
Enwerem, a deputy superintendent of the police (DSP) was contacted, he
said the command got a report from the NSCDC of an encounter their
officers had with armed robbers who engaged them in a shoot-out. That
one of the robbers was gunned down.
Enwerem, who said he did not even know the name of the deceased, however
said the NSCDC, as a security agency, would be in the best position to
give details of what happened.
When asked about the alleged arrest of the NSCDC men, he said:
“I am not investigating. If there is any arrest made, I have not been informed.”
Hon. Ohagwa of the State Peace Advocate Corps, also said:
“You know our Governor Rochas Okorocha, anything that touches the people
touches him. So when he got the report of this incident, he sent us to
console the people and appeal to them to be calm. By God’s grace, we
have stopped them from engaging in a reprisal. I know that the
government will see that the matter is handled the way justice would be
seen to have been done.”
Daily Trust
