Who murdered Mr Nonso Uchenwoke, Civil Liberties Organization asks Inspector General of Police, names police officer as culpable

The Inspector General of Police
Nigerian Police Force
Force Headquarters
Louis Edet House
Shehu Shagari Way
Central District Area
F.C.T., Abuja.
   
Sir,
A CALL FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF THE GRUESOME MURDER OF  MR. NONSO UCHENWOKE BY CPL OBIAKOR AND OTHER POLICE OFFICERS ATTACHED TO OKPOKO DIVISION OF THE ANAMBRA STATE POLICE COMMAND.
The above subject matter refers.
The Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch presents to you this petition on behalf of Uchenwoke Family led by Mr. Calistus Uchenwoke whom we shall hereinafter refer to as “The Complainant”.
The deceased had, prior to his barbarous murder later in the night of that same Friday, May 13, 2016, made complain to our Vice Chairman in the Civil Liberties Organization, Anambra State Branch, Comrade Alex Olisa to the effect that his wife called him on phone and informed him that one of their neighbours, CPL Ada Ekwueme had brought some policemen who came to look for him in the house but did not meet him. He enquired from the wife if they left any message for him but was told that no message was left by them. He expressed premonition that something untoward may happen to him as the Police Lady had threatened to deal with him ruthlessly.
He narrated to our Comrade that he had a disagreement with the Lady Officer over some work he did for her sometime in the past. The lady had, according to him, had pleaded with him to help her convey some drinks and other items, which she was to use for a burial ceremony, to her village, Mbosi in Ihiala Local

Government Area of the State. He obliged her request and assisted her in conveying the goods to the village free of charge, using his Commercial vehicle.
 However, when the Lady finished the burial ceremony, she called the deceased to come and help her bring the items back to Onitsha but this time the deceased told her that she would pay him, as the cost of petrol has gone up. The lady was infuriated by the “temerity of the Common driver” to ask her to pay him over what she considered as a little service. She started abusing the deceased, which led to a verbal exchange between the Lady Officer and the deceased, in the course of which the Lady Officer threatened that she would deal with him in a way that will serve as example for others living in the area. Our Comrade advised him to go about his normal business peacefully since the said Policemen that visited did not leave any message or police invitation for him.
On Saturday, May 14, 2016, The Complainant called to inform us that his brother has been murdered by the police. The Complainant narrated to us that at about 10.30pm on that Friday, the deceased neighbours called him on phone and told him to rush to the deceased’s house, that some police officers were beating up his deceased. The urgency in the voice of the caller made him to leave his house at that time of the night and rushed to the deceased’s house.
On getting there, The Complainant saw his brother lying beside the gutter, unconscious. He was told by the deceased’s neighbours that he was clubbed to that state of unconsciousness by the officers. He met the officers led by CPL Obiakor and asked them what crime the deceased had committed to make them treat him like that but did not get any response. He wanted to carry the deceased to the hospital but the officers refused. He pleaded with them to allow him take the deceased to the hospital to see if they could save his life but they refused, insisting that they must take him to the Police Station.
As he was still pleading with them, another two Police Patrol Vans arrived at the scene. They were led by an officer who identified himself as the DCO II of Okpoko Police Station. Though the DCO II expressed shock at the condition he saw the deceased, he refused to oblige The Complainant’s request to take him to the hospital. When the President General, PG of the Community, Mr. John Ngerem appealed to the DCO II to allow the deceased to the hospital the DCO II simply told PG to see him in his office tomorrow. He then ordered his men to carry the unconscious body of the deceased into their vehicle, and they took him away.
The following morning when The Complainant got to the Station and met with the DPO, CSP Kayode Olabanji, he was told by the DPO that the deceased gave up the ghost and has been deposited in the morgue. The news that initially sounded to The Complainant like a tale of moonlight turned out to be true when he was led to Beks Memorial Hospital Mortuary and the mortician showed him the lifeless body of the deceased in the morgue.
Upon enquiries, it emerged that when the officers took his unconscious brother to the Police Station that night, against his pleas to take him to the hospital, they dumped him in that unconscious state in the cell without any medical attention, no matter how little. This is indeed the height of callousness.
When the information got to us later that morning, our Comrades, Justus Ijeoma and Alex Olisa, Legal Secretary and vice Chairman respectively phoned the DPO and he confirmed the incident. The Comrades later went to the Police Station in company of The Complainant as the DPO had told them to come to the Station for details. Our Comrades, to their utmost consternation, found that none of the officers involved in the killing has been arrested. In fact, two of the officers identified by Mr. Calistus were seen in one of the drinking shops within the Station drinking Hero beer.
Our Comrades met the IPO who told them that CPL Obiakor went out with the DPO and that he has not seen CPL Ada throughout the day as, according to him, she was not on duty. He however, told our Comrades that he has taken statements from Obiakor and one of the officers whom they saw at the drinking joint. Also, the DCO II and other of his friends were seen in another drinking joint within the Station guzzling their own beer. Meanwhile, our Comrades had called the DPO, who was not on seat at the time they arrived at the Station, on phone and he told them to wait for him.
When the DPO finally came in around 7pm, he, in company of his DCO I and DCO II met with our Comrade. He could not tell our Comrades of any concrete step that has been taken in the matter. He only gave some weak assurances that the needful would be done, explaining that he is planning to transfer the matter to the State CID on Monday as, according to him, he lacked the competence to handle the matter since death is involved.
Our Comrades pointed out to the DPO that whether or not he has the competence to handle and conclude the investigation that the first thing expected he should have done is to, at least, arrest and take into custody all the killer-cops. There is no justifiable reason why CPL Obiakor, CPL Ada, the DCO II, the other two officers at the drinking joint and a host of other yet to be identified officers who played one role or the other in the killing should still be allowed to be moving about freely and drinking beer after committing such a heinous crime.
In the light of the foregoing development, Sir, we can safely assert that there is effort to downplay the matter or even sweep it under the carpet entirely. This move is completely unacceptable and be halted.
We therefore, call on you to direct that a thorough investigation be carried out into the matter, and all those found culpable brought to justice. None of the killers must be allowed to get away with the crime. A situation where officers armed and maintained with our commonwealth would turn out to be the greatest threat to the security of innocent citizens must be discouraged by every means possible.
We await your urgent response to this letter.

Signed
For: the Civil Liberties Organisation, Anambra State Branch

……………………………………
Justus Uche Ijeoma
Legal Secretary
08037114869; 08022919484
[email protected]


……………………………
Comrade Alex Olisa
Vice Chairman
08034090410; 09022915711


Cc:
    The Chairman Police Service Commission
    National Human Rights Commission
    The Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs
    The Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs
    The AIG Zone 9, Umuahia
    The Executive Governor of Anambra State
    The Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly
    The Chief Judge of Anambra State
    Amnesty International
    International Society for Civil Liberties  and Rule of law
    Justice Empowerment Initiative