All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) House of Assembly candidate, Chief (Dr.) Tony Azuya and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate Barrister Pat Princess Ajudua

Azuya Petitions Police IG, Fingers Ajudua for the Gruesome Murder of Onianwa

XCLUSIVE Magazine

All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) House of Assembly candidate, Chief (Dr.) Tony Azuya and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate Barrister Pat Princess Ajudua

FEMI OKAFOR AND ASSOCIATES
LEGAL CONSULTANTS AND CERTIFIED MEDIATORS
Ezeadiefe Chambers
E-mail: femiokafor@yahoo.com
Phone: +6825834680, 08035714925
76 Umejei Road,
Ibusa,
Delta State

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April 28, 2015
The Inspector General of Police,
Nigeria Police,
Force Headquarters
Garki, Abuja – Nigeria

Dear Sir,

Re: THE GRUESOME KILLING OF ONE EMEKA ONIAWA
PETITION

We are solicitors to Mr. Tony Azuya presently residing at No. 1 Alamuzo Road, Nkpanyala, Ibusa, Delta State, (hereinafter referred to as our Client) and on whose firm instructions we now write.

Our Client was the candidate of APGA in the just concluded election into the Delta State House of Assembly, representing Oshimili North Local Government Area of the State, which was held on April 11, 2015.

Our Client was the mentor and custodian of one Mr. Emeka Onianwa, now of blessed memory. He reliably informed us that the late Mr. Emeka Onianwa, until his death, lived with him as his ward in his house at No. 1 Alamuzor Road, Nkpanyanla, Ibusa, and was the APGA agent whose duties amongst others on that fateful day, Saturday, April 11, 2015, include monitoring the election procedures at all the electoral wards in Ibusa on behalf of APGA, the party of our Client.

On the said day, on or about 12 noon, our Client informed us that late Emeka Onianwa, accompanied by two other party agents, namely Mr. Nwafe Okonkwo and Mr. Azu Amatokwu drove out in his armored Security vehicle ostensibly to monitor the election progress in various polling stations in Ibusa where our client stood for election. We were further informed that when the APGA monitoring team got to Ward 8 Umueze/Ngboko polling booth, they met on ground one Emeka Odogwu a.k.a. Bamishe who is the PDP counselor for the said ward, Mr. Ike Okobi, Mr. Dumebi Okolichi, and Mr. Odigwe, a.k.a. Scorpion, all PDP agents, who were also representing the interest of one Princess Pat Ajudua, the PDP Delta House of Assembly candidate for the same Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Our client further informed that when the late Emeka and his team approached the ward as was customary for party election monitors, they were confronted by the said Mr. Emeka Odogwu, aka Bamishe who urged them to leave immediately except they want some trouble. The APGA monitoring team stood their ground. While the tense situation remained, the said Emeka Odogwu, in the presence of the APGA monitoring team, made some frantic phone calls asking for reinforcement. Not too long after, a Hyundai Accent vehicle with registration No. LG 027 AKU, property of Oshimili North Local Government but which had been in possession and continuous use of one Mr Uche Ofuonyeadi for over 6 years drove to the scene with the said Mr. Uche Ofuonyeadi at the wheels. When the said Mr. Uche Ofuonyeadi and some other members of PDP in his vehicle drove very close near to where armored vehicle of our Client was parked and saw the late Emeka Onianwa and his two associates standing by the side of the armored vehicle, he reversed the car and drove off.

Not long thereafter, according to our Client, a convoy of PDP supporters rode down on motorcycles, each carrying two passengers. As they were approaching, the said late Emeka Oniawa and his associates’ sensed danger, and they quickly jumped into their vehicle and headed towards the town. But as they drove away from the scene, they found out that the said Hyundai Accent Vehicle with registration No. LG 027 AKU, driven by Mr. Uche Ofunoyeadi, had blocked the narrow road, making it impossible for Mr. Emeka Onianwa, his associates, namely Mr. Nwafe Okonkwo and Mr Azu Amatokwu to drive pass the narrow earth road. At this juncture, we were informed that the trio disembarked from the armored vehicle and requested Mr. Uche Ofuonyeadi to please remove his vehicle from the road so that they can pass. But Mr. Uche Ofuonyeadi refused and there was heated argument. While this was going on, Mr. Emeka Odogwu, aka Bamishe and the other members of their group who had come on motorcycles came and joined the scene, and while the argument was going on back and forth, we were informed that Mr. Emeka Odogwu put another call to one Mr. Innocent Esewezie, and said to the hearing of everybody, including the APGA monitoring team, that they, the PDP group (Emeka Odogwu, aka Bamishe, Uche Ofuonyeadi, Ike Okobi, Dumebi Okolichi and One Odigwe, aka. scorpion} had apprehended the man that fought with Mr. Innocent Esewezie, the previous day.

According to our Client, Mr. Innocent Esewezie who, the previous day had a physical fight with Mr. Emeka Oniawa, in response, advised Mr. Emeka Odogwu on what to do. The APGA agents thereafter were over powered and were beaten thoroughly by all the PDP members who were at the scene. He further informed us that while the commotion was on, the driver and current owner of the vehicle Mr. Uche Ofunoyeadi, went into the boot of his Hyundai Accent car, brought out a gun, and quietly slipped it into the armored car. As soon as his mission was accomplished, he raised alarm to the effect that he had found a gun in the armored car. The information further infuriated the people against the APGA agents, and the PDP agents wasted no time in beating the three captives into a state stupor. They were later stripped off their clothes, and thereafter, they were pushed into the back seat of the said Hyundai Accent vehicle with Registration No. LG 027 AKU and driven by Mr. Uche Ofuonyeadi straight to the residence of Mr. Fred Ajudua, the husband to Princess Pat Ajudua, the PDP candidate in the said election.

Our Client further informed us that on getting to the residence of Mr. Fred Ajudua, the three APGA monitoring team, i.e. Mr. Emeka Onianwa, Mr Nwafe Okonkwo and Mr. Azu Amatokwu were taking into the living room of the Ajuduas. Sitting in the living room were Mr. Fred Ajudua, his wife, Mrs Pat Ajudua and one Mr. Azikiwe Nwabuwa, a.k.a. Zikky, aka Ogalanya Ede. Our Client further informed that as soon as the abducted and thoroughly assaulted victims were ushered into the living room of the Ajuduas, the said Mr. Azikiwe Nwabuwa sprang up from his seat and dealt a dirty slap on the face of Mr. Emeka Oniawa and on the face of the rest of their captives. Mrs. Pat Ajudua, swearing and accusing their captives of planning to prevent her from winning the election, used her traditional walking stick to batter the captives. Mr. Nwabuwa wasted no time in tackling the late Mr. Emeka Onianwa, who fell down to the ground, while the beating continued. We were further informed that at this stage, Mr. Fred Ajudua, who was fuming with uncontrollable rage took a rod in his house and started hitting late Mr. Emeka Oniawa on the head and every other part of his body. The deadly blows from the rod coupled with the other beating already given to the trio resulted in late Emeka bleeding from the ear, nose and mouth. While this was going on, even with late Emeka still lying motionless on the ground, Mrs Ajudua started kicking and matching him with the soles of her shoes. Mr. Azikiwe Nwabuwa was unrelenting in his unprovoked continuous assault on all their captives.

At a point, it became obvious that their captives were gradually losing consciousness. Mr. Emeka Onianwa, because of the excessive loss of blood arising from the blows to his head and body with the iron rod, fainted right in the living room of the Ajuduas. When it dawn on Mr. Fred Ajudua that Mr. Emeka Oniawa had fainted and was no longer responding to the ceaseless beating, he ordered his wife and Mr. Azikiwe Nwabuwa to stop the assault, and a phone call was made to the DPO, Mr. Nwabara to come to his house, arrest and take away his victims. Mr, Nwabara instead sent down some policemen to Mr. Ajuduas house. Since Mr. Emeka Onianwa could not walk, Mr. Fred Ajudua instructed Mr Azikiwe Nwabuwa, aka Zikky, aka Ogalanya Ede to drive their badly battered victims to the Police Station in Mr. Azikiwe’s personal car. Mr. Fred Ajudua also gave the said Mr. Azikiwe Nwanbuwa the sum of Twenty Thousand Naira with an instruction that the said N20,000 be used subsequently in paying for their treatment at the hospital.

According to our Client, when the victims of the assault were brought to Ibusa Police Station, the then DPO Mr. Nwabara, on sighting the battered victims, especially the pathetic condition of Mr. Emeka Onianwa, reasoned and concluded that the victims needed some urgent medical attention and immediately arranged for them to be taking to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba. At the Federal Medical Centre Asaba, late Emeka Onianwa’s conditions became worse and he was referred and subsequently transferred to University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Emeka Onianwa died a couple of days later at UBTH, Benin City as a result of the fatal wounds he received from all the people mentioned above.

After the matter was reported to the police station in Ibusa, the DPO, Mr. Nwabara, who has now been redeployed from the Divisional Police, Ibusa to elsewhere, transferred the case to the State CID, and some arrests were made. But our worry is that even after the police in Asaba were informed that one of the victims of the gruesome assault had died, they still went ahead and released the suspects from their custody. We are very much aware that suspects in crimes or offenses that may likely incur capital punishment are seldom released on bail, more so as the matter was still fresh. We were reliably informed that the suspects in this gruesome murder were released by the Police in Asaba because Mr. Fred Ajudua insisted that they should be so released. He was neither detained himself, despite his complicity in the crime.

Sir, we are constrained to give you the detail as was presented to us by our Client, given the barbaric, horrific and gruesome nature of the assault and battery that lead to the death of late Emeka. We strongly believe that nobody should be deprived of his life and no individual, regardless of his position, power or wealth should be above the law so much as to deprive his fellow human being of his life without any just cause.

There is no doubt that law of the land frowns against extra judicial killing as was the case in this instance. Politics is not and should not be a ground to kill anybody. The situation even became more pathetic since Mr. Fred Ajudua, knew the implication of taking the laws into his own hands and yet went ahead with impunity and reckless abandon to procure, encourage and even participated in the beating of their captives, so much that Mr. Emeka Onianwa had to die a very painful and premature death.

Sir, we like to add that this account as related to us by our client, is the account of eye witnesses, who were equally victims and are living witnesses to the unwarranted attach and subsequent killing of an innocent man, but who somehow survived the attacks, and beatings, and are willing and will be made available to the authorities so that the veracity or otherwise of the above account can be ascertained.

Our Client believes or suspects that by this singular breach of protocol and procedure in releasing murder suspects from police custody, even when investigations are yet to be in full gear, the policemen handling the case in Asaba may have been compromised, and may ultimately pervert the cause of justice. This is the reason why we have decided to petition your office and appeal to you Sir, to use your good offices to ensure that justice is done in this case. Most of the suspects released on bail, we are told, have either relocated from the town or have gone underground. Most, if not all the exhibits that would assist the police in their investigations are reported to have been put away, and investigations into the matter, in our Client’s opinion, is not progressing, and if anything, it is stalled. We know that you are very much aware that justice delayed is justice denied.

Ibusa, has for so long been a nerve centre for unprovoked attacks, abduction, kidnapping, even ritual killings, and in 9 cases out of 10, such high profile crimes are never solved. We believe that with you at the helm of police affairs in the country and considering the resolve of the incoming administration to be fair to all, you will rise up to the occasion by ensuring that those who killed the young man whose expectant wife has just been delivered of a baby boy almost a week after Mr. Emeka Onianwa died from the wounds he received from his captors are held accountable and brought to justice.

We trust that you will act swiftly and decisively, and cause justice to be done.

We remain,

Yours sincerely

(Sgd,)
Femi Okafor Esq.
Attorney-At-Law,
For: Femi Okafor & Associates,
Solicitors to Mr. Tony Azuya.

Copy:
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police
Zone 5,
Nigeria Police,
Benin City
The Commissioner of Police,
Nigeria Police,
Okpanam Road,
Asaba.