A 65-year-old man, Mr. Augustine Ehianu Ugbom from the Umu-Osi Quarters of Ekwuoma in Ika North East Local Government Area, has cried for justice over the gruesome murder of his only daughter, Late Helen Ehianu.
The heartbroken father in tears said the remains of daughter had continue to lie in mortuary over two years and nine months without justice while her killers were set free by the Delta State Police Command, Asaba.
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According to him, “The Delta State Police Command, Asaba treated me as nobody by allowing the arrested killers of my daughter, Helen who had confessed to the crime go free. This is height of inhumanity to man.
“And my heart bleeds whenever I remember that the remains of late daughter are still lying in the mortuary without justice”.
Recalling the ugly incident, Mr. Ugbom said his twenty-eight-year-old Helen was strangled and her corpse found in a pit in Obior community, Aniocha North Local Government Area of the state on March 24, 2018.
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He disclosed that her daughter’s murderer was one Precious Mmaduneme who visited their home on March 22, 2018 and lured Helen to follow her to hospital in Ogwashi-Uku in disguise that there in the hospital that her long aged epilepsy will be permanently treated.
He said her daughter; Helen went alongside with her six months old daughter, Munachim who was later sold for N400,000 after she was murder. Continuing, Mr. Ugbom revealed the architect of her daughter’s killing; Precious Mmaduneme was later apprehended after some days and she confessed to the crime mentioning her accomplice as Precious Nwali and Chikodi Emuka who according to her were the people who killed my daughter.
The father of the deceased said with the assistance of Precious Mmaduneme that the other two of her accomplice where arrested and they also confessed to the crime. And my granddaughter Munachim was also recovered. He further said policemen of Issele-Uku Division who at first handled the matter transferred it to the state Police Command, Asaba for further investigation.
In his words, “It is disheartening to know that at the Delta State Police Command that the matter of a murder case and child stealing when the suspects appealed in court turned attempted child stealing. Sincerely, it shocked me and all efforts to get answer from the crime Investigative Police Officer (IPO), ASP Habila Morris why it should be attempted child stealing failed.
“It was later that I heard that the murderers of my daughter were granted bail. I written to the police through a petition to re-arrest the suspects and make them face prosecution”.
The petition which was signed by P. E. Okwuokei-Ajabor of P. E. Ajabor & Co (Legal and Property Consultants) stated, “Our client’s daughter, Helen, was killed and her corpse concealed and recovered from a covered septic tank in a residential house at Obior, where one of the suspects, Precious Nwali, resides.
“To our client’s bewilderment, the suspects were brought to a magistrates’ court and charged with child stealing, while the heinous crime is the murder of our client’s daughter, which the suspects are not charged for.
“Sir, the murderers of our client’s daughter are left on the streets free as air and only God knows how many people have died in their hands. Our client will be very grateful to you sir if the murderers of his daughter are brought to justice, and this must not only be done, but should be seen to have been done.”
Mr. Ugbom lamented that the suspected killers of his daughter were walking free without diligent prosecution by the state police command. The septuagenarian said that he had made several efforts to ensure that the police revisit the case but to no avail.
He stated, “The police took the case to court without telling me even though I used to visit the station from time to time. From the court, the suspects were released, while my daughter’s corpse is still in the mortuary. The suspects are now moving about freely. These include all who were involved in child trafficking, that is, those whom they sold the baby to.
“When I wrote to let the CP know the situation of things, he did not acknowledge it. After some time, on January 18, 2019, I went with my lawyer to remind the police, but they failed to acknowledge our presence. A murder case was charged to a customary court, and from the customary court, the suspected murderers were released; is that proper? I am appealing for justice in this case.”
He also called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to intervene in the gruesome murder of his daughter in order to deter other persons from being involved in such nefarious activities in the state.