BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
The national human rights commission in Ebonyi State says it won’t fold its arms and allow offenders to go unpunished.
Coordinator of the NHRC in the state, Onyekachi Okorie, expressed this resolve while responding to the public rage against the gruesome killing of one Edwin Ogbona-Urehu who is from Ndiechi Igbeagu community, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Maria, the mother of the deceased, took her case to the commission with tears and supplication for justice.
A widow, Maria appealed to the NHRC to put its weight behind her in her efforts to secure the release of the remains of her son.
Heaving under the pains and agony of the tragedy that befell her, she said, “I want my son Edwin, whether dead or alive. And in the spirit of fairness, the NHRC has to see the matter to a logical conclusion. As things stand, the NHRC boss in the state said that the Commission would petition the Commissioner of Police to unearth the fact about the circumstances surrounding Edwin’s killing.
According to the mother, Edwin was shot dead in the early hours of June 9, 2021 by a team of security operatives suspected to be policemen who invaded their compound.
Edwin’s sister, Chiamaka, was also allegedly shot on the laps while her arm was also reportedly broken in the confusion that ensued.
Chiamaka was, however, said to have been rushed to the hospital by the security operatives in order to save her life. After being discharged, she is still languishing in pains from the gunshot just as she recalls the gory end of her brother.
The facts behind the alleged action of the security operatives that went to Edwin’s home were still shrouded in mystery as the police had yet to make any statement or give any explanation regarding the shooting.
Maria accused one of the policemen of firing shots at Edwin and Chiamaka. But, the alleged policeman (name withheld) denied the allegation, saying that he only assisted Chiamaka by ensuring that she was taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Our correspondent learnt that the policeman being accused of shooting the gun was the one investigating the case and not part of the team that stormed their residence.
Edwin’s family continues to raise questions on where his body was dumped after the attack since June 9. His mother, a peasant farmer, described her son as a quiet, law-abiding and hardworking person and the breadwinner of the family.
She said, “My son was the one taking care of me and his only sister. My husband died at a very young stage so he had taken over our feeding. He was very quiet and was not a trouble maker; he was law-abiding and never engaged in any criminal act.
“After the primary school education, there was no money for him to further his education. He decided to learn auto electrical repairs. We struggled to set him up after training and that is what he has been doing until the policemen came and shot him dead right in our house for no just reason.
“That fateful morning, we heard heavy gunshots in our compound. Then, they broke into our house and shot my son dead while sleeping. His friend who visited him was also sleeping in the same room with my son; he was not shot. After killing my son, they went to my daughter’s room and shot her on the lap. When I came out to check, they forced me to lie down on the floor where my son’s body was.
“Now, I am pleading for the release of my son’s corpse to me if he is dead. If not dead, they should let me see him. They shot at him in June; I have not set my eyes on him or his corpse. If he is dead, they should release his corpse so that he can be buried in his father’s compound. This is what I want. They didn’t tell me what my son did that made them shoot him.”
Eighteen-year-old Chiamaka said, “It happened around 5 am on June 9. Armed policemen invaded our house and shot sporadically. They broke into my brother’s room where he was sleeping and shot him. His friend who visited him and who was in his room at the time was not shot.
“I was praying with my mother at the time they arrived. I stood up to confirm what was happening. One of them peeped through the window and shot me on the laps. I told my mother that the policemen had shot me on the laps.
“The policemen ordered that my brother’s friend carry my brother into their vehicle. They hauled me into the vehicle and whisked us away to the police headquarters in Abakaliki. From there, they hauled me into another vehicle. I asked for my brother and one of them told me to keep quiet or he would shoot me.
“They took me to the hospital while my brother was lying in critical condition inside the vehicle in which they took us to the police headquarters. While I was in the hospital, policemen were coming to check on me.
“I am appealing for the release of my brother if he is still alive. If he is dead, they should release his corpse to us; he is the only brother I have. I am still feeling pains on my laps where I was shot. The injury is deep, it has not healed. Presently, I can’t stretch one of my hands, it is stiff because it got broken.”
As at press time, the fact of the matter was still unknown as efforts made by our correspondent to know what led to Edwin’s arrest were abortive.
Visits by our correspondent to the police spokesperson in the Ebonyi State Command, DSP Loveth Odah, for details on the matter did not yield results, as she was not available. Calls made to her were not picked and messages sent to her were not replied as well.
The state coordinator of NHRC, while expressing worries on the allegation which the Ogbona-Urehu’s family leveled against the police, said, “As it is, we are hearing this for the first time. We will start our preliminary investigation and we hope that the police will be part of the investigation as we cooperate with one another to fight crimes.
“We will definitely write the police; the commissioner of police will get our petition regarding the gruesome issue. It is very pathetic. Human lives are supreme. If you cannot respect human rights, nothing can be respected.
“We condemn, in all totality, any form of violation of human rights, especially as regards the right to life and right to human dignity. No person should be killed or extra-judicially murdered. This particular case that is on our table is one of those.”
