Sophia Michaels
The convoy of Gov Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State reportedly knocked dead an undergraduate of the State University, Ebube Akah, last Friday, 1 December, alongside a commercial motorcyclist in Abakaliki, the state capital.
It was learnt that the Governor was not in the convoy of the three cars at the time of the incident, and the deceased family is demanding justice.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the deceased student’s older brother, Isidore Akah, said Ebube left home on 1 December to get something along Afikpo Road through Onwe Road in Abakaliki metropolis.
Tragedy struck when the motorcycle he boarded was hit by a car in Nwifuru’s convoy that had gone to pick up the Governor’s children from school.
He said Ebube and the motorcyclist, identified as Shahabilu, an indigene of Zamfara State, died at the scene of the accident.
According to the deceased’s family, the police, in a bid to cover up the crime, deposited Ebube’s remains as “unknown” at the Federal Medical Teaching Hospital morgue in Abakaliki, despite having his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards on him.
Akah further accused the police of removing the SIM cards from his brother’s phone to prevent any phone calls from the family, adding that the undergraduate’s corpse was found at the morgue after two days of fruitless search in the city and beyond.
He said, “The Governor’s ride that went for school runs for the Governor’s children, knocked down Ebube with the bike man, and they both died instantly.
“Despite having his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards on him, the police, in a bid to cover up my brother’s death, registered his corpse as unknown at the morgue.
“We never knew about this until Sunday morning, when we got information that the person we had been looking for had the same looks and the same clothes as the person involved in that accident.
“This Friday makes it one week since my brother was killed, and we are yet to hear from the Governor or anybody from the government, knowing full well that the car that knocked him down with the bike belongs to the Governor and the government.
“Augustina Ogbodo, the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, met with members of the Akah family on Monday, but no action has been taken regarding the accident.
“The commissioner of police in Ebonyi State is aware of this, but she’s playing to the government’s tune.”
The police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the incident but failed to respond to specific allegations against the police.
She said, “I am currently in Abuja but I have forwarded your enquiry to the Commissioner of Police. The family of the deceased are already meeting with the commissioner.”
