Grieving daughter seeks IG’s intervention over mother’s death
A grieving daughter, Blessing Ephraim yesterday called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu to intervene in the unravelling of the circumstances that led to the murder of her mother, Helen Okoro.
Blessing, the daughter of the deceased, also alleged that the police have allegedly refused to direct for the release of the body of her mother for burial as ordered by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Jabi, Abuja.
Addressing the press in Abuja yesterday, Blessing called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the police inspector general to obey the court order by re-arresting and prosecuting the suspects.
She stated that “my mum’s remains has been in the mortuary for almost two years and the bills are accumulating and the force legal department is frustrating the case. My mother was killed because she refused to sell her ancestral land; all I want is justice.”
She also explained that her mother’s body is still deposited at the Arochukwu General Hospital in Abia state since December, 2017, after she was reportedly killed over a land tussle involving one Tony Ndu and 12 others, who were indicted by the police in Abia state which investigated the incident.
The men were detained for over six months, but were released when the case file was transferred to the force headquarters.
Also speaking, lawyer to the daughter of the deceased, Maxwell Opara, explained that attempts to enforce the court order were rebuffed by the police legal department.
The activist also stated that the police have refused to prosecute the 13 men indicted for the murder of Mrs. Okoro, adding that the police legal department claims that the case file is missing.
The lawyer presented the court order in suit number FCT/M/5352/2019, dated June 11, 2019, directing the police to release Mrs. Okoro’s remains for internment.
It reads: “Leave is granted directing the Nigeria Police to release to the family of late Mrs. Helen Okoro the receipt or tag with the tag number 16051, the corpse of late Okoro, issued by the Arochukwu General Hospital, Abia state, where the corpse was deposited which was collected and kept by the Nigeria Police, Arochukwu Police Division, Abia state.
“Leave is also granted mandating the Nigeria Police to direct the management of Arochukwu General Hospital to release the corpse of late Mrs. Okoro to her family for burial. Order is as prayed.”
Opara explained that the police have also spurned an order of mandamus compelling them to release the case file in respect of the murder of Okoro to the Abia state attorney-general pursuant to his letter requesting same dated June 27, 2018.
