UNIZIK student’s killing: Enugu Police Accused of Detaining Principal Witness

Operatives of the Anti-Cult Unit of the Enugu Command of the Nigeria Police Force have allegedly detained one Mr Emeka Ogbu, the principal witness to the killing of Augustine Ugwu, a law student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra State.

Ugwu was arrested at a bar by a local security outfit and handed over to the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Cult Unit in Nsukka, DSP Nnamdi Ochin.

Ochin was, however, accused by Ugwu’s family of killing their son when his whereabouts could not be traced, following his arrest.

The family petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who set up a six-member investigation team led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gabriel Elaigbwu, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the law student while in police custody.

Meanwhile, reports on Friday said that the principal witness to the case, Ogbu, who was the owner of the shop where Ugwu was arrested, had been arrested and handed over to the police.

Ogbu was said to have earlier appeared before the IGP panel investigating Ugwu’s death.

In a telephone conversation, Ugwu’s father, Andy, alleged that the police had detained the star witness to his son’s killing.

He said, “Policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Nsukka went to his (Ogbu) house, searched it and nothing incriminating was recovered. They then arrested him and took him to their office in Enugu. He was released and asked to report back, and when he reported on the appointment, they rearrested him and took him to the police anti-cult unit in Enugu.

“There was no offence they accused him of committing. What they are doing is to see how they can connect him to being a member of any cult. That is why they have been dragging him for a month now.

“The counsel for my late son went with his family members to know the offence he committed but they continued to tell them to come back. As I speak, he is still in detention at the police anti-cult unit, Enugu.

“They have refused to release him on bail or charge him to court for four weeks now for committing no offence other than testifying before a police investigation panel.”

Andy alleged that the police were trying to kill the principal witness in the name of him wanting to flee.

He also told our correspondent that the Enugu State Police Command had yet to release the remains of his late son to the family for burial, four months after his murder.

Efforts to get the police reaction were unsuccessful as calls to both the Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, and the police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, were not taken.

Also, they had yet to respond to the text messages sent to them as of press time.
(Punch)