A retired police officer, Andy Samuel Ugwu, whose 27-year-old son, Augustine Ugwu, was allegedly shot by police at Nsukka, Enugu State has said that the chief suspect who masterminded the killing of his son was still moving freely.

The distraught father of four also said that he was yet to see the remains of his son two weeks after he was allegedly murdered by the police in Nsukka Division.

He further alleged that the suspect had not been detained because he was under the cover of police authorities at the headquarters in Enugu.

Missing corpse

He said, “I am still going through untold hardship because I have not seen the corpse of my son. I was reliably informed that some police officers are fond of killing people extra-judicially in the University town since the present team was posted to the area. He is still moving freely today to the chagrin of angry residents of the town.”

In tears he continued: “If a suspect was caught and killed without trial, what is then the relevance of the court of law? Even Evans that committed high profile crimes in this country is still being tried.

“The people who arrested my son were illegally constituted by Nsukka Local Government chairman, Patrick Omeje. This is the first time I am hearing of civilian anti-cultism in this country.

Police wanted list

I am not convinced that my son has done anything to warrant being killed extra-judicially. If someone is on the wanted list of police, his photograph will be pasted at the police stations and even published in newspapers to inform the general public but nothing like that was done for my son.

Nobody has ever called me to bring him for a crime of any sort and there is no case file in that regard too, “he said.

However, unconfirmed reports said that the deceased has been on the wanted list of the police. Those who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that he eluded arrests on various crimes he committed in the past.

According to a statement credited to the Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity to Nsukka Local Government Area, Ejike Okpe,

“Anthony Ugwu, was alleged to be a notorious cultist whose father had long disowned due to his allegedly intractable nefarious and dissident cult involvements.

“In most quarters, it was also alleged that the said Anthony was a dreaded cult figure, who had wasted many innocent lives within and outside Nsukka and its environs.

“He was also alleged to have many pending cases, both in Nsukka Police Division and the Police Headquarters, Enugu”.

Human rights layers petition IGP

Meanwhile, a group of human rights lawyers has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, demanding a thorough investigation of the alleged extra-judicial killing of the final year law student, Mr Augustine Ugwu, by an officer of the Nigerian Police, Nsukka, in connivance with a group known as “Anti-cult Nsukka Local Government. The petition was signed on behalf of the human rights lawyers by Messrs Salawo Momohsani Oricha of Da Sphinix Legal Practitioners & Solicitors, based in Abuja.

How he was arrested

The law firm, which, according to the petition, was acting on the instruction and brief of the parents and siblings of the deceased, alleged that the late student, Augustine Ugwu, was arrested by the anti-cult group at a beer parlor where he had gone to have a drink with his friends.

According to the petition, one of the anti-cult members allegedly shot the deceased on his legs before taking him in their vehicle, a Toyota Sienna mini-van, to the anti-cult office in Nsukka, where a top police officer allegedly fired the shots that eventually killed the boy without any allegations leveled against him.

“They, therefore, demanded justice, insisting that no one is entitled to take away the life of any person and this is adequately protected by the Nigerian Constitution which is the supreme law of the land.

“It is the primary duty of the police to protect lives and properties and save humanity from extinction. The global world is watching and the Nigeria society is expecting Justice.”

Accusing fingers at Local govt boss

The petition, which also accused the Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Mr Patrick Omeje, of using the anti-cult group for clandestine political purposes, reads in part: “We are a team of human right lawyers briefed by the family of Retired Dsp Andy Ugwu of Owukpa in Ogbudigbo Local Government of Benue State represented by Andy Ugwu (father), Mrs. Blessing Ugwu (daughter) and Friday Ugwu (1st son) but currently living at Block D Umeano Quarters close to Nsukka high school Nsukka, on whose instruction and entire society we write.

“On their instruction and brief, it was made known to the office that their son, Augustine Ugwu, a final year law student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka (Unizik) upon this lockdown following the efforts of government to contain the Covid 19 pandemic, returned from school to stay with his family at Nsukka.

“On 23rd of April 2020, he went to drink with two of his friends in a shop at Odobido Street Nsukka. In a swift action that happened not so long after they entered, a team of armed men in a Toyota Sienna minivan, painted black with an inscription, Anti Cult, Nsukka Local Government, came and all the occupants came down from the vehicle with different guns: Pump Action and revolvers.

“Further in our instruction, it was alleged that one of the armed men wielding a pump action in his hands entered the office demanding “Austin” as the victim was popularly called. But when the shop manager demanded explanation they pointed gun at him.

“The boy, Austin agreed to follow the armed men, but at the point of entering the vehicle that brought the group, one of them pulled the trigger and shot at him on the leg, causing him to fall down. He was thus pulled into the vehicle with his leg shattered by bullets fired at close range and driven away.

Killed at the police station

“People followed them behind as they drove to Anti cult office headed by DSP Ochin Finian Nnamdi, who on sighting the crowd, chased everybody away including lawyers who were in his office to solicit for the bail of some suspects in his custody.

“According to the information, the boy was finally killed upon arrival at the anti-cult office in cold blood and without recourse to due process of the law. He was then taken to a hospital mortuary yet unknown.

“There were no charges of any crime brought against the young man to warrant killing him, hence the need to establish “murder case” against all the parties involved.

“In the real sense of the law, the Anti cult police has only the authority to arrest and prosecute someone in the law courts, for offences punishable with not more than 10 years (which is, belonging to unlawful association). “If Austin had committed murder, there is a homicide section in the state headquarters of the police in Enugu State to handle the matter.

If Austin were an armed robber, there is SARS (Special anti-robbery squad) in Enugu and Nsukka who treat armed robbery cases.

“This is a calculated murder, extrajudicial killing and similar things have been going on in this small community of Nsukka secretly,” they stated. (Saturday Vanguard)

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