Family Petitions Police Over Relation’s Murder In Ebonyi

The family of Ogbonnaya Okwua, who was murdered in his farm at Ezi Oti Inya village, Unwana Afikpo, Ebonyi State, has expressed dissatisfaction at the level of police investigation  into the matter,   urging the Inspector-General of Police to wade in and ensure that the police carry out a thorough  job.
In a petition to the I-GP counsel to the family of the deceased, Chief Nnadi Egwu noted that, two key suspects were arrested by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation  Department (SCID) from Abakaliki in connection with the incident.
According to Egwu, apart from the principal suspect, simply identified as Idi Amin, who allegedly sustained machete cuts apparently from struggling with deceased during the incident, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), attached to the Ubeyi Development Centre, Afikpo and one other suspect and staff of the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, were also arrested.
“The two key suspects have voluntarily confessed to their participation in the crime and if properly drilled, they will name their accomplices. Some other arrests have been made but the arrested persons were merely quizzed and released by the police in highly questionable circumstances”,  he regretted.
The counsel lamented  that the circumstances surrounding Okwua’s  death threw up many leads for investigation, but such leads were yet to be thoroughly exhausted by the police in Ebonyi State, and called on the IGP to intervene in the unresolved murder case.
“One of the principal suspects who received a very deep cut from the deceased did confess to the Unwana vigilante committee that they were many and that, it was a premeditated murder. The said injured suspect was treated locally at Unwana by stitching of the hand by an owner of a patent medicine store at Ezi Akwa village, Unwana.
“The suspects confessed that they used to meet in furtherance to their illegal acts at a local drinking joint at Ezi Akaa, Uwana, where they perfected their ill-plans. The owner of the said drinking joint was merely quizzed by the police and released”, the petition stated.
The lawyer expressed concern over the way and manner the police in the state were handling the matter, noting that  the police had not exhausted investigation concerning the murder of the deceased before releasing the suspects, pointing out that the situation was causing pain and anguish to the Mgberenwa family, while urging the IGP to take over the matter and bring justice.
Police authorities in Ebonyi, in a reaction denied all allegations leveled against them, saying that the suspects had been charged to court with charge No. MAB/46C/2017 and also remanded in prison while spreading their dragnet to arrest others.