Family of man who died in Police Custody demands justice

The relatives of Chinwendu Ibekwe, who hailed from Umuobiakwa Nsirimo, Umuahia South area of Abia State, have demanded justice over the death of their son.

Ibekwe died in police custody in Umuahia, the state capital.

It was gathered that the deceased, a 42-year-old vulcaniser at Ubalaka, a suburb of Umuahia, was arrested in his workshop on April 6, 2017 for allegedly buying a stolen tyre.

The deceased’s uncle, Onyebuchi Ibekwe, told Punch that his late nephew had gone to his place of work on the day he was arrested but did not come back in the evening.

Wife of the deceased, Obigaeri Ibekwe, said since she got married to her late husband in Kaduna 14 years ago, he had lived a peaceful life and had never been accused of theft.

She said, “My husband always said the truth on any matter, irrespective of who was involved. I’m just surprised about all these stories they are telling me about my husband.

“Since we came back from Kaduna, I have been a peasant farmer and my two children are still in primary school. Their late father has been the one paying their school fees. We need help from Nigerians and the government.”

The Police PRO, Geoffrey Ogbonna, however, claimed that when the deceased was in custody, he became aggressive and started hitting himself on the wall.

Ogbonna added, “When he later took ill in custody, he was taken to the police clinic where he passed on. When things like this happen, the next thing will be to find out the exact cause of death. The family has been advised accordingly. They may as well want an autopsy conducted on the deceased, so we’ve advised them to call a pathologist for that purpose.”

How can a man just be hitting himself on the wall?