***Family Blamed DPO For Death
***Vows To Seek Legal Redress
***Police Allegedly Conducted Autopsy Without Family Members
By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
Tension is gradually building at Unenurhie Community of Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, following the suspicious death of the community youth leader, Mr. Oyibo Diamond, in police custody at the Ughelli ‘A’ Division on December 23, 2023.
Late Mr Oyibo Diamond, father of five with his last child barely two months old, was arrested and detained on December 20, 2023, by the Ughelli Police ‘A’ Division, but allegedly died on 23rd of same month while in police detention.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the President General of Unenurhie Community, Mr. Peter Maison disclosed that the late Mr. Oyibo Diamond was invited by the police in Ughelli A’ Division of the Delta State Police Command following an incident of the killing an armed robber at Evwreni community.
According to the community President , “the police allegedly saw the phone number of my community youth leader in the phone of the deceased who the police said was a robber/ kidnapper and they came raiding and the youth leader was among the six persons arrested at the deceased elder brother’s hotel at Unenurhie community.
“When we heard about the incident, we went to the station to secure their release, but the police refused, insisting that they had a particular case against the youth leader, saying they had traces of call between him and the suspected deceased robber/kidnapper.
The community leader however blamed the Divisional Police Officer at the Ughelli ‘A’ Division, Asanaenyi Ibok for the unwarranted death of the youth leader.
Mr. Maison alleged that the police tactically and unlawfully indicted the deceased him in other to detain him, maintaining that as a community that is law abiding and not obstruct investigations, gave the police enough room to investigate him, but yet, allowed him to detention without any charge.
“As you know, Evwreni and Unenurhie communities are one and myself being the President General of a community, people are bound to have my number, just like that of the Youth leader which is very normal.
“The most painful thing was that the DPO in question, Asanaenyi Ibok, will testify that I came to him on several occasions seeking the release of the Youth leader such that any time he wants him, I will provide him, but he he refused and over reacted on the issue for reasons best known to him.
“And he kept him more than the number of days to be charged if found wanting. And the result of that is his death while under detention.
“A day before he died, I went to the police station but the DPO was not around and I called his line several times, he did not pick my call and he never returned my call, and I felt probably he is at a function.
“I called him (DPO), again later in the night that same day and he told me that he missed my call, that I should see him the next day, being Sunday December 24.
“He gave me a call on Sunday at about 10:07am, and I told him that i am at church service and would call him back after closing, because I knew his call was in respect of the youth leader in his custody.
Continuing he said; “After the close of service, I called the youth leader’s elder brother and we went to the Ughelli ‘A’ Division, but from what the DPO told me, it looks as if the boy died on Saturday, being December 23 and he just kept it to himself.
“I suspect fowl play because, he did not call me between 8am, but precisely 10:07am, and when I told him I am in the church, he immediately hang the call.
“When the DPO broke the news to me, he was panicking and regretting that if he had known, he would have released him to me on Saturday, but that the damage has been done.
“As a community, we are going to take up a legal issue with him, because the circumstances that led to his death is not too clear to us, they did not come up with the result of their investigation that made them to keep him there for the number of days, and as a family, we want to know the outcome of their investigations and as time progresses, we will talk about other things but for now they should tell us the finding of their investigations.
“It is surprising that the police has carried out an autopsy on him without the knowledge of the community or family members just to absolve themselves from his death.
“The Pathologist is somebody the same police brought on their own and I as a person will not believe any result that would be presented, my understanding of autopsy is not just by merely observing the body whether there is wound on the body.
“Autopsy ought to be a thing where of Specialists would collect vital organs of the body and are taken for test before coming with a result but they never did that, but when the chips are down we will know the steps to be taken.
“We are seeing that they want to come for settlement, but for now they should put that aside and tell us what they have done to him, they arrested the guy on December 20 and they told us that he died.”
As at the time of filing this report, police authority in the state are yet to make any official statement as regard the incident, but the atmosphere at the Unenurhie community is tensed as family members, widow of the deceased, children and community indigenes has vow to explore every legal and other available means give their son justice.