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Family cries foul play as mechanic d!es in Rivers police custody

The Rivers State Police Command and the family of a motor mechanic, Chukwudi Okereke Abraham, at the Spare Parts Market in Ikoku on the Mile 2 axis of Port Harcourt are on a collision course over the cause of his death while in detention at the Octopus Strike Force Unit of the Police.
While the family alleged that Chukwudi was tortured while in detention at the Police Unit following his arrest, the police said the suspect was a kidnapper and a cultist, debunking the claim of torture.
Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said in a statement in Port Harcourt on Saturday that the deceased was implicated in a case of kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism.
Iringe-Koko disclosed that the late Chukwudi was involved in the abduction of a businesswoman in the Diobu area of the metropolis on September 7, 2023, saying the victim was held captive for one week and was released after her family paid a ransom of N3.5m.
She said the police held a meeting with the parents and spouse of the deceased, who were accompanied by two of their family legal representatives, and they agreed that the family would participate in the autopsy to determine the cause of his death.
The statement read, “The Rivers State Police Command is aware of a press conference held on May 23, 2024, by a member of the Civil Society Organisations regarding the death of one Okereke Abraham Chukwudi, who was a suspect in police custody.
“The police would like to inform the public that the deceased was implicated in a case involving kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism. This relates to the kidnapping of a female business tycoon (name withheld) in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt on September 7, 2023.
“The victim was kidnapped by five armed gunmen and taken to a hideout in Elechi Waterside. The kidnappers were armed with AK-47 rifles, a pump-action shotgun, and locally-made pistols. The victim was held captive for seven days and was released after the victim’s family paid a ransom of ₦3.5 million.
“Investigations revealed that the deceased was a member of the Dey-Gbam secret cult gang. He and his accomplices purchased one of the AK-47 rifles used during the operation. Two of the kidnappers have been arrested, and they are also members of the Dey-Gbam cult group.
“Sometime last month, the police held a meeting with the parents and spouse of the deceased, who were accompanied by two of their family’s legal representatives. During this meeting, it was agreed that the family would participate in the autopsy to determine the cause of death.
“The case of the death of the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigations to ensure a thorough and impartial examination of the circumstances surrounding this incident. We remain committed to ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the investigative process.”
Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, Abraham Okereke, said at a joint news briefing with the Rivers State Civil Society Organisation that his son is not a criminal, saying months after his arrest the police denied keeping him in their custody but that his remains were found at the University of Port Harcourt.
The distraught man stated, “On January 11, I was at Choba when I was called that my son was arrested. I thought it was a normal arrest, not knowing there was something behind it. My son is a mechanic.
“His junior brother said I should not worry that he would come back. Two days after I went to the Octopus Unit, they chased me. I started going from one police station to another, with my son’s wife and his younger brother.
“I went back to the Octopus again, but they chased me. I contacted Human Rights Watch to inform them. So after three days, the police brought my son to his shop and searched everywhere, but they didn’t see anything. They took him back.
“When I went back to the Octopus, they didn’t even allow me to enter the place again. So I went back to human rights, who promised to follow it up before I heard that they had killed my son.
Continuing, he said, “One of the policemen saw me on the road, stopped me, and asked if I was Chukwudi’s father. I said yes. I asked how he knew me because he wore a uniform, so I thought they wanted to kill me like they killed my son. He now said I will not see my son again because I don’t have a long leg to reach where he is.”
While fighting back tears, he said, “I want the government of Nigeria and Rivers State to come and help. Even the governor should assist me because, like the policeman said, I don’t have anybody. It is by the grace of God and the help of civil society that I saw my son’s corpse where the police hid it from me.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the State Civil Society Organisation, Enefaa Georgewill, faulted the police over its handling of the case.
Georgewill expressed sadness that even after the mechanic’s arrest on whatever allegations, the police didn’t make any effort to contact his wife or any family member, adding that even when they found out, they were denied access to him.
He explained that from January until about three weeks ago, when the family got wind of his detention at the Octopus Unit, they started visiting the facility, but that they neither allowed them nor their lawyers to see Chukwudi.
He alleged that “later a directive from the Inspector General of Police came instructing the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter within record time, but no action was taken until we (the CSO) approached the CP, who now assigned the matter to the State Criminal and Intelligence Department.”
Georgewill, however, said for a whole month he and the family were going to the State CID. It got to a point where the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of the State CID told us that operatives of the Octopus Strike Force refused to honour his invitation.
Georgewill said, “In fairness to the CP, he called members of the Octopus Strike Force, and we all sat down. While we were discussing this for over four months, it was the first time the family of Chukwudi, members of civil society, and the lawyers handling the matter got to hear that Chukwudi Okereke Abraham was dead and that he died in the Octopus facility.
“Armed with that information, we asked how he died and where his body was. The corpse was at the UPTH mortuary.”
He added, “We insisted that an autopsy be carried out because they are claiming that he took ill in their custody, and they took him to the police clinic, where he was referred to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the UPTH. And that was where he was confirmed dead.”
The State CSO chairman expressed disappointment in the manner in which the police handled this matter, which spanned four months, and called for the arrest and prosecution of all operatives involved in the death of the mechanic.
He stated, “We are demanding that an autopsy be conducted immediately at the instance of the police to ascertain what caused the death of Chukwudi.
“We are demanding that the Commander of the Octopus Strike Force, who had the guts to keep a torture chamber in his facility as against the spirit of Section 7 of the Anti-Torture Act, who allowed his men to torture suspects, be immediately arrested and prosecuted in line with Section 7 of the Anti-Torture Act.
“We equally demand that all the officers directly involved in the torture and death of Chukwudi Abraham be brought to book. If actions are not taken immediately, the civil society in the state will be left with no other choice than to down tools within the ambits of the law.”
News
Exam Malpractice a Serious Offence – DG Law School

…as Reps back CCTV use in Law school, plans nationwide oversight visits
By Gloria Ikibah
The Director General of Nigerian Law School, Professor Isa Chiroma, has reaffirmed that examination malpractice remains a serious offence, warning that any student found guilty during exams will face strict consequences.
Professor Chiroma made this clear on Thursday during an investigative hearing held by the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, chaired by Rep. Olumide Osoba.
Naijablitznews.com reports that the session was convened to address a motion relating to the alleged withholding of Bar final results and the backlog of law graduates awaiting Call to Bar.
Addressing concerns raised in a recent petition signed by hundreds of aggrieved law graduates, many of whom had staged a peaceful protest at the gates of the National Assembly, Professor Chiroma dismissed the claims of unfair result withholding, stating that infractions such as exam malpractice remain a key reason for disqualification.
He informed the Committee that Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras had been installed across the examination halls in Abuja to monitor the conduct of students and ensure transparency during assessments.
Highlighting the standards upheld by the institution, Professor Chiroma reminded lawmakers that only the Body of Benchers has the authority to determine who is fit for Call to Bar. “Anyone who fails the Bar exams cannot be called to the Nigerian Bar,” he stated emphatically.
In a startling revelation, the DG presented visual evidence to the Committee, including footage of female students allegedly writing exam notes on their thighs and other concealed body areas, an act he described as a gross violation of professional ethics and exam integrity.
While relaying the due process being followed by the Law School in order to ensure transparency, he said: “When somebody is apprehended in the examination hall, there’s a process, first and foremost, whether it’s called Copy he came in with extraneous materials, or he came in with telephone, these are strict liability offence, whether when you are in the exam will be telephone, whether use it or not. Is a strict liability offence.
“So all these are situations, and nobody has disputed this. When this is done, they come before a Committee of management. This committee is responsible in determining whether this person is guilty or not. They are brought in, they are given opportunity to defend themselves. Most of them, what they say is that ‘its the work of devil, it will never repeat itself again’; ‘Forgive us, it was a mistake’; ‘I didn’t know this’. This is what happens. So it’s not some it’s not in dispute. You, you won’t go and say you are a committee examination but practice and there is no evidence to attach to it.
“What I want to say clearly, Law School like every organized system, has its own calendar, and whatever we do in Law School is based on this calendar. At the beginning of every session we advertised for admissions. We have timing for our when admissions will end, our lectures, internship program, when students come out to do more trial examination, timetable for examination, when result is to be processed, when result is to be out in all these things, each body has its own role.
“For example, when it comes to examination, when examinations are marked, it goes to Board of Examiners,” and passed the outcome of its findings to the Board of Studies and later to the Committee of Council, which also look at the result.
“What Council does is to either ratify or make certain decisions on these results. And in our system, once Council approved results that day that is always out on our portal. That’s how this system works. So, the issue of withholding result does not even arise. This result comes out the day Council approves.
“So when we saw that people were writing to National Assembly to say that they should intervene to ask us to release result that we withheld, there’s no reason withholding result. Any result withheld in Law School has to do for example, with examination malpractice.”
Responding to the House resolution on ‘Call to Bar, he said the call to bar is not an activity of Council regarding Law School. It is the activity of Body of Benchers by regulation, and Body of Benchers also like I’ve said, every system has its own calendar. The Body of Benchers has decided long ago, Call to Bar will be in July and November. And that’s the reason why those who passed by examination are going to be Call to Bar, specifically on the 8th to 10th of July this year, and another group that the backlog from 18 to 20 of November. That is how this process work.”
Responding to the presentation made by the Nigerian Law School, Chairman of the House Committee, Rep. Osoba, said the committee was pleased with the use of CCTV cameras in the Abuja campus to curb examination malpractice.
He noted that the National Assembly would consider making more funds available to ensure CCTV cameras are installed in all Law School campuses across the country.
Hon. Osoba also commended the Law School management for presenting clear visual evidence of students caught cheating during exams, saying it showed the institution was serious about maintaining discipline.
He added that the Committee would visit all Law School campuses in the coming weeks to see the facilities for themselves and assess the general condition of infrastructure.
News
“Our National Chairman Goes Mad Again,” LP Reps Reply Abure Over Claimed Suspension

By Gloria Ikibah
Three federal lawmakers of the Labour Party extraction have brushed aside recent claims of their suspension, calling the move unserious and politically motivated. According to them, the action appears to be the last gasp of a former party leader who no longer holds authority.
Julius Abure, the party’s former National Chairman whose tenure was recently brought to an end by a Supreme Court decision, had issued a statement declaring the suspension of Rep. Afam Victor Ogene, who leads the Labour caucus in the House of Representatives, his deputy Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, and Hon. Amobi Ogah.
In addition to these lawmakers, Abure also named Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Senator Ireti Kingibe, and Senator Darlington Nwokocha who now serves as secretary of the party’s caretaker leadershipas being suspended.
The lawmakers, however, maintain that these announcements lack legitimacy, suggesting they are the reaction of an individual no longer in control of the party’s affairs.
In a joint statement signed by Rep. Afam Victor Ogene, Rep. Seyi Sowunmi, and Rep. Amobi Ogah, titled “Our Former National Chairman Goes Mad Again,” the three LP lawmakers expressed dismay that Abure, instead of working to improve the fortunes of the Labour Party, seemed focused on orchestrating its disintegration to appease external forces driving his actions.
They said further, “From yesterday’s overreach of himself and his band of jesters, it is now evidently clear to everyone who has followed recent events in the Labour Party, that our former national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, has gone mad again, in a desperate move not to go down alone.
“It’s utterly absurd that Abure, who failed to demonstrate moral integrity during his tenure as national chairman, now claims the authority to sanction party leaders. Only in Abure’s distorted reality can those with questionable character judge others. In the real world, his Supreme Court-nullified leadership status has reduced him to a self-serving shameless impostor driven by personal gain.
“A political party is set up for the specific goal of participating in the democratic process, especially the contestation for power.
Since the Peter Obi effect of 2023, what has Abure and his gang of undertakers done to enhance the fortunes of the party? In fact, we challenge him and his cohorts to name one single individual of note that they have attracted to the party since 2023.
“From Kogi to Bayelsa, Ondo to Edo, what Abure has done is lead the Party to disastrous outcomes.
“All they have excelled in, is run the party as a criminal enterprise, fleecing aspirants of hard-earned cash in exchange for party ticket.
“Even in his native Edo, where he was dragged on the floor like a common felon because of disputations over misappropriated delegate funds, the over-bloated and egoistic Abure couldn’t even win his polling unit for the party.
“Pained of being kicked out of his lucrative position as national chairman, on account of abuse of official malfeasance, Abure and his gang of jesters have resorted to desperate antics in a bid to stay relevant.
“Which self-respecting national chairman of a political party busies himself running around media houses like a press boy? The last time around, it was announcing the sack and replacement of Hon. Ogene as caucus leader, but when that didn’t work, he has resorted to contriving a fake suspension order.
“Abure has appointed himself as a willing undertaker for the destruction of the soul of the Labour Party but ironically, he is only supervising the burial plan of his image and integrity as a public servant and political leader. We wish him well.”
News
Trump Congratulates First American Pope, Leo XIV

United States president, Donald Trump, has congratulated cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the new Pope, Leo XIV.
In a post on his Facebook page, Trump expressed excitement over the development and described the election as an honour to the American people.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope.
“What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment,” he stated.
White smoke rose from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, indicating the election of a new pope.
Robert Prevost is to be addressed as Pope Leo XIV.
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