Family demands justice for father of three who was shot dead by Police officers
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The alleged killing of one Chibueze Nwakor, a father of three by Police officers attached to the Onitsha Area Command in Anambra State has raised concerns as the family of the deceased demands justice.
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Nwakor was allegedly shot dead by Police officers around his residence while he was going to his place of business on October 13, 2023. He was said to have refused to respond to questions by a team of Police officers led by one Jude Utazi.
In what has been described as a bid for justice, Val9ja News has learned that the mother of the deceased, Mrs Dorcas Nwakor, through her Lawyer, Anayo Emejue and Associates, has petitioned the acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the alleged killing of her son.
The petition was made available to journalists on Monday. The bereaved mother stated that her son was shot dead without any provocation by three policemen on the fateful day.
The petition partly reads, “It is our client’s instruction that on October 13, 2023, at Onitsha, Anambra State, a team of three policemen shot their son, husband and brother, Mr Chibueze Nwakor, to death for no justifiable reason.
“Chibueze, who lives at No. 15F Haruna Street, Odoakpu, Onitsha, was shot to death by policemen led by one Jude Utazi attached to Area Command, Onitsha, for allegedly refusing to answer their questions.
“After shooting him, the policemen jumped into their ash-coloured commuter Hiace shuttle bus and zoomed off.
“The victim was rushed to the hospital by his neighbours, but because of the severity of the bullet wounds, he died before receiving medical attention, leaving behind his wife and three children. His corpse has been deposited at the mortuary.
“This is a case of wilful murder of a citizen without any justification or provocation.
“The mother and the wife of the deceased want the Nigeria Police to explain why their son/husband was killed and those responsible for the killing.”
The petition was also copied to the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, the State Director of DSS, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Anambra, the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Abuja, the Director, National Human Rights Commission Abuja, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, among others.
Briefing journalists in his office on Monday, the counsel to the family, Anayo Emejue, confirmed that the deceased was shot dead without any provocation by three policemen led by one Jude Utazi.
He said, “We were told that the three policemen involved in the killing have been detained at the Police Headquarters in Awka, but when we got to Awka, we saw them moving freely on the streets.
“This was a father of three who hailed from Owerre-Ezukala, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, but he lived with his family at No. 15F Haruna St. close to Sokoto Road junction, where he does business.
“He did not commit any offence, just that he refused to answer their questions and he was shot by trigger-happy policemen and they jumped into their ash-coloured commuter Hiace and zoomed off.”
While the Investigating Police Officer in the case, Azuka Moses, was yet to react to the incident as at press time, the Anambra State Police Spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, Monday, confirmed the incident, and added that “the case is still under investigation”.
On his part, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, Mr Akin Fakorede, in a letter written to the counsel for the bereaved family, urged him to be physically present for the autopsy of the deceased, billed for noon on Tuesday, at the St. Charles Borromeo Specialist Hospital Morgue, Onitsha.
The letter from the Deputy Commissioner read in part, “Notification of autopsy: Invitation to witness the autopsy of late Mr Chibueze Samuel Nwakor, of No. 15F Haruna St. Odoakpu Onitsha, murdered on 13/09/2023, postmortem examination to likely cause of death will be conducted on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, by noon at St. Charles Borromeo hospital mortuary.
“Accordingly, you are please invited to be physically present at the venue as a witness to the post-mortem examination. If for any reason you cannot be present, nominate an appropriate person to represent you.”
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