The Imo State Police Command has arrested the 38-year-old owner of a guest house for the alleged murder of a youth.
The guest house owner identified as Ibe Obasi and two others at large were accused of torturing and locking Ebuka Udemba in a generator room where he died.
A statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, on Sunday, disclosed that Obasi had been arrested for his role in the tragic incident that occurred on Saturday.
Okoye said, “Operatives of Obowo Divisional Headquarters have arrested the owner of ‘Our Guest House’, Umulogho, Obowo, Ibe Obasi, 38yrs, who was allegedly involved in the murder of a 25-year-old Ebuka Udemba, ‘m’, an indigene of Umuokpa in Obowo LGA of Imo State.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was tortured and locked up inside the generator room of the said guest house by the suspect and two others at large, where he suffocated to death, on the accusation of stealing a customer’s handset.
“Accordingly, the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Owerri, for consolidation of the ongoing investigation. He has provided useful information that will assist the determined operatives in arresting all the suspects in connection to the case.
“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has tasked the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID to carry out a comprehensive investigation to ascertain the remote circumstances surrounding the death of the victim and ensure that all the suspects involved are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“While commiserating with the families, friends, and relatives of the victim, the Commissioner of Police strongly condemns the cruel act and calls on the people of Obowo LGA, particularly residents of Umulogho to refrain from taking laws into their own hands as the command is on top of the situation and has commenced a thorough investigation to apprehend the suspects linked to the case of murder and bring them to book.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) had lamented the alleged ongoing indiscriminate mass arrests, harassment and brutalisation of people and residents of Umulogho Obowo community in Imo State.
It noted that this was on account of a protest by youths of the community over the alleged murder of a youth of the community by a military officer in collusion with the management of a hotel where the victim was said to have been an auxiliary staff member until he was murdered.
Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of the organisation in a statement on Sunday said the information at its disposal is that the youth was accused of stealing a cell phone belonging to a military officer who lodged at a hotel known as ‘Our Guesthouse’ located at Umulogho Obowo, Imo State where he was working until he was murdered.
RULAAC said, “That upon being summoned and confronted with the allegation of stealing the phone, the man denied knowing anything about the missing phone.
“That the owner of the hotel simply identified as Ibeh claimed he went to a native doctor with the man and the native doctor confirmed that Chukwuebuka stole the phone.
“That Chukwuebuka continued to deny the allegation of stealing the phone and he was consequently beaten and tortured in a bid to force him to confess, and was finally locked up in a small room where the hotel’s diesel generator is housed with heavy fumes emanating from the diesel engine.
“That the following day, the hotel management opened the generator room and found the man dead, apparently from a combination of the torture inflicted on him and suffocation.
“That Ibeh, the owner of the guest house contacted the military officer who arrived at the Guest house later and they took the deceased boy’s corpse and dumped it in a cassava farm near the guest house.”
