ω Alleges moves to free suspects

BY BEN DUNNO – WARRI

Mr. Owuru  Ewomazino Clarkson, a 57- year- old teacher with the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board based in Isoko South Local Government area has been in pains since his 19-year-old son, Desmond Iruoghene, was brutally murdered by members of a cult.

His agony is compounded by alleged attempts  by some political interests to thwart the course of justice and let the alleged killers off the hook.

Iruoghene’s assailants had accosted him on his way home around Okere road area in the heart of Warri South Local Government area on Sunday, February 26 at about 6: 24pm, stabbed him in all the sensitive organs of his body and left him to die.

Mr. Owuru explained that the deceased’s only sin was that he was a child of a police officer, Corporal Charity Owuru, attached to the B Division of the Nigeria Police at Okumagba Avenue also in Warri South Council area, who had helped the unit in crime fighting especially busting notorious crime syndicates.

The father described the late Iruoghene as a brilliant, promising boy, who just finished a National Diploma (ND) programme in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the Delta State Polytechnic, Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government area.

“Prior to that fateful day,  his mother had raised the alarm about a threat on my son by the same boy who committed the heinous crime. It was reported that on a football field where he had gone to play, the same boy was beating a younger boy and my son approached him to stop beating the boy.”

The alleged bully, said to be a cult member, reportedly got furious at being challenged and threatened to deal with the deceased, whom, he accused, had the effrontery because his mother was a policewoman.

“My son got home and told his mother about the happening. My wife visited the boy’s house to ensure he was called to order , but met only a woman, who said, she was his guardian. “My wife pleaded with the woman to prevail on the boy not to carry out the threat and went to the house about two times afterwards.

“Everyone of us had forgotten the incident, until this fateful day, February 26, 2017. My son went to Okere Market to buy a T-shirt for himself . However, that was it! The boy was never seen again until somebody rushed in, to call my wife that our son had been stabbed. This was between 7pm and 8pm and she ran there.

“On getting there, she saw sympathisers trying to rescue the boy and she immediately rushed the boy to the hospital, we did all we could to save his life, but at the hospital, he made a dying declaration in which he mentioned the names of the attackers he could recognise. He mentioned some names, Godday who threatened my son, Lucky, Christian, Nelson and others and thereafter he gave up the ghost.”

By Monday evening, some of the suspects had been apprehended and brought to the station. When interrogated, they made confessional statements in which, one of them said the victim was called by one Ekene and Nazza who had his number. Following this, both Ekene and Nazza were arrested and detained alongside other members of the gang at the State CID, Asaba.

Owuru demands justice, saying: “You cannot kill my first son and expect to live. I am insisting that, life for life those who murdered a human being, a progressive and promising young man whom I have mapped out that at the age of 25, he would have bagged his Masters Degree in Elect/Elect and stand to take care of his younger ones.

“If justice is perverted, then I would have lost all hope in our judicial system. I will have to commit everything in the hand of God of vengeance, because God will never forgive anyone that takes blood. But I believe in the  agencies of government, the security agencies, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to do their work and let justice prevail in this case.”

In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, counsel to the family, Messrs Charles Obuke & Co, demanded a speedy dispensation of justice in the matter, considering the physical and psychological trauma the death of the young man had caused the family. 

“It was a murderous, gruesome, dastardly, deadly massive attack on one person, Desmond Owuru, using knives, machetes, broken bottles, huge sticks and other assorted dangerous weapons, applied severally on his head, chest, hands, back and all over his body at a place known as Esisi road, Warri, Delta State.”

The petition stated that, “It is our brief further that the suspected cultists have made confessional statements (evidence of which is available and could be produced if necessary) on the killing of our client’s son and given other useful information to the police.

“What has baffled our client leading to the presentation of this matter before your office is the interference in the investigations by very highly placed political figures inundating the police with bail and settlement requests. The ground, amongst others, being that the arrested persons have been very useful and loyal to the system and that they should be considered for release and compromise of the matter.”

“Our client, as stated earlier, is a woman corporal. What could she do in the face of this monumental pressure now permeating virtually the entire Delta State Command and even threatening to go beyond? In her agony and pathetic state of mourning her dead child, our client has no option, but to appeal for your intervention in the matter. That is the only way the interest of justice could be served.

“The blood of Desmond Owuru, brutally spilt by so called cultists must not be allowed to flow in vain under the guise of “ boys that have been useful and loyal to the system” or even for any other reason that could be advanced for the cause of their release and compromise. It is obvious that the stand of the present administration in the country is not one of undue interference in the criminal justice system.”

The lawyer noted that the case should even be a test case for busting the nefarious activities of cultists in the society, as its proper handling  would trigger more serious revelations than has been witnessed so far in this matter.

Responding to question in a telephone conversation, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed that the suspected cultists were still being interrogated to get more facts from them on how the heinous act was perfected and executed.

He said they would soon be charged to court.

The question bothering curious observers now is, for how long the police command can rebuff the alleged mounting pressures from various quarters for the release of the suspects. Only time will tell.