The murder of Innocent Ofojee on July 6, 2016 by those believed to be his close relations, and the shoddy manner the police conducted the investigation drew the ire of Crusade for Justice, a human rights advocacy group. But justice for the deceased seems to have met a brick wall due to lack of funding, writes Senior Correspondent ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA
Piqued by the perceived unprofessional investigation by the police over the murder of Innocent Ofojee, a traditional title-holder, who was murdered in 2016, Crusade for Justice (CJ) wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding justice.
Ofojee, an only son, hails from Umuazu village in Uke, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The murder of Chief Ofojee was alleged to have been masterminded by his wife, Mrs. Anastecia Ogechukwu Ofojee, and her co-conspirators namely Ikechukwu Jonah Ejeh, Osita Nwachukwu, Emeka Emmanuel Ukaumunna and one Mr John, Ejeh’s relation.
Godfrey Okeakpu, the deceased’s cousin, while briefing CJ’s executive director, Richard Nwankwo, narrated how the deceased was murdered in his home at No 3 Yeye Olofin Street, Lekki Phase One, Lagos, on July 6, 2016.
According to him, Osita Nwachukwu, one of the suspects, while looking troubled and confused, approached one Obioma Igbokwe and confessed to him how the did was done.
TheNiche gathered that Mr. Nwachukwu gave Obioma Igbokwe graphic details of the part allegedly played by the suspects, particularly the deceased’s wife.
The suspects were said have drugged their victim, and when he became weak, they used masking tape to seal his mouth and nose to prevent breathing, and pinning him down on the bed, they injected him with acid.
Nwachukwu further confessed to Igbokwe that when they certified that Ofojee had died, they deposited the corpse in a remote mortuary at Epe town, Lagos. This was to secure the corpse till when it would be taken home and buried, without autopsy.
Following the startling confessions by Nwachukwu, TheNiche further gathered, Igbokwe lured the suspect to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Adeniji Adele, Lagos, where an official report was lodged. At the police station, Nwachukwu repeated his confessional statement and same was confirmed by other suspects in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) who recorded same, and that of Igbokwe.
The petition
When CJ and the solicitor acting for Godfrey Okeakpu was informed of the sad incident, the group became an interested party and demanded justice over the murder of Ofojee.
Feeling disgusted, unsatisfied and disappointed over the way the matter was being investigated by SARS and men of the monitoring team attached to the office of the IGP, CJ wrote a letter to the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, appealing to him to use his good offices to order for thorough investigation into the case.
The letter dated March 20 and made available to TheNiche stated that “from the way the matter is going, it appears that the police are covering some suspects, even to the extent of granting them bail in such a heinous offence”, expressing shock over the “exceedingly compromising and unprofessional” role played by the SARS and the IGP’s monitoring team.
The group noted that despite the confessional statements made by the suspects in the presence of the DCP who recorded same, the statements were not captured in the exhibits transferred to the X Squad, Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, when the case was finally transferred there.
“It is a mockery of police investigation as carried out in this case,” the rights group lamented.
The executive director of CJ, Nwankwo, in a letter, expressed dismay that the suspects got bail despite the serious and damning allegations against them which was further corroborated by their confessional statements.
Highlights of intrigues
Highlighting the events that played out at SARS, Adeniji Adele, the human rights advocacy group stated that when Ikechukwu Jonah Ejeh was arrested, he made a confessional statement. He was admitted on bail and investigation of his role in the matter was stalled despite the statements he volunteered.
Also, Nwachukwu was arrested in respect of the same crime. He also made extensive confessional statement to members of the investigation team, but were still admitted on bail. One of the prime suspects, Ejeh, was alleged to have been kept in a nearby hotel from where he disbursed money to influence investigation.
The alleged refusal by men of SARS to release his file despite repeated reminders, this weekly was told, explains why he was never detained. It was further alleged that a whopping sum of N36 million was paid to the investigating team by Mrs. Ofojee to ‘kill’ the case. This was said to have contributed to the stalling of the case at the command.
Case transfer
Given the seriousness of the allegations against the suspects and the way the case was being investigated, it became suspect that something was seriously amiss with the investigation by the SARS team. Therefore to ensure a thorough investigation, Igbokwe applied for the transfer of the case. The transfer was achieved and the case file was released and transferred to FCID Annex, Alagbon and assigned to X Squad.
The X Squad reportedly took charge and made significant and tremendous inroad, but the intervention of the monitoring team attached to the office of IGP added another dimension to the matter.
CJ became worried and stated: “Despite the successes achieved by the men of X Squad, including the arrest of Ikechukwu Jonah Ejeh and Emeka Ukaumunna, a team of officers, allegedly acting under your instruction and from your office, flew into Lagos, collected the case file and some of the exhibits including Ikechukwu Jonah Ejeh’s jeep, a Lexus 470 Series with registration number Lagos FKJ 942 DU, with all the implicating personal effects of Chief Innocent Ofojee and charms therein.”
It was alleged that several millions were offered to the investigating team at X Squad which was designed to tint the investigation, but they rebuffed the advances.
“They boldly said ‘no’ to the blood money,” the group averred, pointing out that immediately after the alleged murder of the victim, his wife embarked on massive disposal of the assets of her late husband
It asserted that on the day of her arrest, men of the X Squad met her with some buyers who were there to negotiate on the sale of her late husband’s house at Lekki where he was allegedly murdered. Consequently, the group questioned the suspect’s desperation to fritter away the assets of the deceased.
Demands
In the letter which was copied to the office of the President, the Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker, the rights group demanded to know how many arrests were made by the men of the monitoring team. Other facts they want to know include: From where did all the funds being frittered away come from? Where are the passports of the suspects earlier seized from them? In the course of the investigation, was the remains of the deceased exhumed for autopsy, and if not, why?
The group further demanded to know who killed Chief Ofojee and for what reason; whether the accounts of the suspects were blocked, and if not, why; the history and purpose of the withdrawals made by the suspects during the investigation.
It therefore appealed to the IGP to use Ofojee’s murder as a test case to once more redeem the image of the Nigeria Police by being firm and decisive in digging deep to unearth truth behind the killing and show Nigerians the faces of the criminals.
“The blood of Chief Innocent Ofojee is crying for justice. Justice will only come if there is a detailed and comprehensive investigation into the alleged murder and the roles played by the Federal SARS and the monitoring team attached to your office and all funds withdrawn and paid by the suspects,” it added.
Justice delayed
That the wheel of justice grinds slowly is a fact that those who seek knowledge already know. The case of the late Ofojee has joined the queue on the chains of justice. Due to lack of funding, the bereaved family members seem to have abandoned the case.
CJ told TheNiche on Thursday, August 31, that the case has been stalled because the family, which is funding the case, is no longer forthcoming.
According to the executive director, Nwankwo, “lack of funds has affected the pursuit of the case by Crusade for Justice.”