Welcome to Virgoworld Ventures Blog

The family of Chukwuma Ihezia, allegedly killed by policemen attached to the State Anti-Robbery Squad, Enugu State Police Command, has demanded the release of his remains to enable them to give him a decent burial.

Chukwuma, 30, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, was allegedly killed by policemen who labelled him a robber.

Chukwuma’s elder brother, Chinedu, told PUNCH Metro on Monday in Abuja that the deceased was framed for robbery by a SARS team, led by Superintendent Felix Bolu, who is now the Divisional Police Officer, Agbani Police Station, Enugu.

Chinedu explained that the family had purchased a car for Chukwuma which he was using as a taxi, while waiting for a call up for national service.

He said the young man was arrested on January 12, 2013, while waiting for a passenger at Royal Media Hotel, Enugu.

He said Chukwuma had taken a passenger to the hotel and was waiting for him, but a misunderstanding reportedly broke out between the passenger and the people he went to meet at the hotel and everyone, including Chukwuma, was arrested.

He said, “Chukwuma told the police that he was the taxi driver who brought the passenger and the two of them were taken to the Independence Layout Police Station, Enugu, where the DPO handed Chukwuma and his passenger alive to SARS officers ─ Edeh, Abugu Jonathan and Mike. My brother was later shot in the legs.”

Chinedu further explained that the police searched his brother’s room and found nothing incriminating except a laptop, some money and other personal effects which they took away.

He stated that when he visited the SARS and saw the bullet injuries in Chukwuma’s legs, and he pleaded with the policemen not to allow his brother to die. He said he was asked to bring N50,000.

“Felix Bolu collected N50,000 from me for the treatment of my brother, but instead of taking him to a hospital, he called a nurse living close to the SARS headquarters to treat him. He also demanded N100,000 for bail, which I gave him. It was later that I got to know that my brother had died, but the police didn’t inform me. Rather, they extorted more money from me,” Chinedu said.

On learning of Chukwuma’s death, Chinedu said he petitioned the state Commissioner of Police, but nothing came out of it.

He said the police had refused to release his brother’s remains, which he said were kept at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

“We have petitioned the Police Service Commission, the DIG, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, the Senate President, but nothing was done. Since we cannot get justice for our slain brother, they should release his corpse for burial. The police released his laptop, wallet and other things they took from his house, but they have refused to release his remains,” Chinedu said.

Bolu, however denied the allegation of extortion, saying Chukwuma was “a pure armed robber who robbed a hotel with his accomplice.”

He said, “The boy was shot in the ankles as he attempted to escape when he took us to where he hid his guns. We took him to the hospital for treatment, but he died.”

When asked if Chukwuma died in the cell or in the hospital, Bolu declined to answer, saying, “What kind of question is this? I said the boy died, he died during treatment. Instead of the family to beg the police to release the boy for burial, they are busy making a noise.”

Sunny Anyanwu, the lawyer to the Ihezia family, said instead of punishing Bolu for the extrajudicial killing of Chukwuma, the police redeployed him from the SARS to the state police command headquarters as an administrative officer.

Anyanwu stated that an autopsy conducted by the police pathologist, Dr. Wilson Akiwu, on July 17,2015, indicated that Chukwuma died of gunshot wounds.