Policemen Who Killed Unizik Student Freed From Custody

The five policemen who are said to have killed a final-year Law student at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Augustine Ugwu, have reportedly escaped from police custody, report says.

Augustine was said to have been arrested in a bar by a local anti-cult outfit set up by the late Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area, Patrick Omeje, on April 23, 2020 for no known reason. They were reported to have handed him over to the officer-in-charge of the Enugu Police Anti-Cult unit in Nsukka, DSP Nnamdi Ochin, but in a twist the police authority later claimed the student was not in their custody.

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Following the development, his father, Andy Ugwu, a retired police officer, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who ordered an investigation into the incident. A six-man panel led by ACP Gabriel Elaigbwu was constituted to unravel the matter. The panel from the Force Headquarters, Abuja came to Enugu in June for investigation on the matter.

It was gathered that the panel found that Augustine had been killed and buried in a shallow grave by five policemen. Those fingered in the case which includes the OC anti-cult unit, three sergeants working under him: Emmanuel Ibiam, Godwin Abel, Abu John and Nsukka Divisional Crime Officer 3, ASP Peter Adu, were indicted by the panel.

However, Second-in-Command, Enugu State Police Criminal Investigation Department, ACP Fidelis Ogarabe, reportedly prevented the panel from taking the indicted officers from being taken to Abuja, allegedly insisting that they should remain in police custody in the state, pending the outcome of autopsy.

But at the time of this report Police revealed that the suspects were released and redeployed to other police divisions on Tuesday immediately the panel left.

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