HOW many bodies were dumped into Ezu River? Who dumped them? Why should a flowing river that serves as the source
of water to many communities in the Southeast be polluted? These and
many questions have been begging for answers since the strange discovery
of floating human bodies in the river last Saturday.
Controversy has continued to rage over the number of decomposing
bodies found in the river. Some claimed 50 human bodies were found;
others insisted they counted only 30 bodies. But official figures from
the Anambra State government and the state Police Command put the figures at 16 and 14 respectively.
Local Government Commissioner Lady Azuka Enemuo confirmed 16 bodies
were found. However, residents said 100 bodies were recovered in
Amansea, Anambra State.
Ezu, a flowing river, linking several communities in the Southeast terminates into River Niger.
A community leader in Amansea, Chief Benjamin Onwuanyi, said Ezu
River derives its sources and stren gth from all the rivers in the
Southeast.
The river, according to him, cuts across Mmaku, in Ananri Local
Government Area; Ufuma, in Orumba North; Akpugo-Eze, Oji River Local
Government Area; Agbaogugu; Ozuu and Ezinator communities before getting
to Ugwuoba and Amansea, in Awka North Local Government Area.
Ugwuoba and Amansea are border communities.
These two communities are border communities. Onwuanyi informed that
the river continues from Amansea to Ebenebe-Ugbene through Awba
Offemili, where it joins Ugwulugwu River and empties into Omambala River
and subsequently River Niger and the Atlantic Ocean.
Some of the bodies were in under-pants; singlet and out-rightly naked when they were recovered.
Police Occupation
The presence of 60 policemen in three patrol vehicles from Anambra
and Enugu states, triggered tension in the community. The officer’s
mission was to unravel the mysterious discovery.
The policemen came in patrol vehicles marked NPF 117 C, with the
inscription of Anambra Cobra Squad B Division; NPF 2347 C, with the
inscription of Enugu State Anti Robbery Squad and an registered vehicle
belonging to the Cobra Squad.
The officers were civil as they made no arrests. They only
interrogated those living around the area to say all they know about the
mystery found in the river between Ugwuoba (Enugu State) and Amansea
(Anambra State).
Civil society groups
finger police
Up till yesterday, there was no clue on the masterminds of the act.
The International
Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) belled
the cat with its sweeping allegation that the Special Anti Robbery Squad
(SARS) knew something about the shocking discovery.
It urged Police Commissioner Bala Nasarrawa to unravel the mystery
and sanitise his command, failing which the rights’ group recommended
his transfer.
Extra-judicial killing
suspicion rife
The allegation was made in a statement signed by the chairman of
Intersociety’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Emeka Umeagbalasi and the head of
publicity desk, Justus Ijeoma.
The statement reads: “IGP Abubakar should also investigate thoroughly
and conclusively the recent shocking discovery of dozens of corpses
inside the Amansea (Ezu) River, in Awka, Anambra State by the local
residents on January 19.
“The river is located
between the borders of Anambra and Enugu states. Since there is no
known intra and inter communal violence or conflict in the area, it is
most likely that the corpses were those of victims of extra-judicial
killings.
“More so when little or nothing is heard of the prosecution, conviction or acquittal of those arrested
for their involvement in violent crimes such as armed robbery,
kidnapping and culpable murder, particularly after they have been
paraded.
“They are rarely arraigned and prosecuted in courts. In November
2005, over 20 detained citizens were massacred and dumped in the area
(Agu-Awka).
“Therefore, every logical indication points in the direction of the
state SARS and the Anti-Kidnap Squad as the source of the dead bodies.
“The IGP should order that the corpses be pathologically investigated
to determine their style of killing and circumstances under which they
were killed.”
Coming on the heels
of the Intersociety’s allegation was that of the Anambra chapter of the
Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), which fingered the SARS.
In a statement issued in Onitsha and signed by its chairman, Aloysius
Attah and Secretary, Justus Ijeoma, the CLO said they were tempted to
blame the bizarre incident on security agencies because of the knack for
judicial killings.
Making references to the wanton killing of detainees allegedly
perpetrated by the SARS operatives since 2004, the group further alleged
that the anti-robbery squad may have resorted to kill and dump bodies
into the river because the area they hitherto used as shallow graves in
Agu-Awka has been developed as residential apartments.
The CLO commended the prompt response of Governor Peter Obi and condemned the hasty burial of the recovered bodies.
CLO calls for probe
It also called for a team of foreign pathologists to ascertain the
immediate and remote cause(s) of the death of those found floating.
The CLO insisted that local experts should be invited from other
geo-political zones in order not to jeopardize the findings of the test,
adding that the searchlight should be beamed on the security agencies.
It said it was important for the authorities to determine the number
of suspects released on bail, charged to court and those killed
extra-judicially.
The CLO statement reads: “The reason why we are worried is not
far-fetched. Awkuzu SARS has acquired notoriety as the worst detention
center by the police in Anambra where human bazaar goes on unabated.
“On 4th November 2004, our fellow comrade, Ifeanyi Onuchukwu was
detained in the line of duty as an activist. He later came out with a
chilling revelation that the SARS operatives that same night at about
7.15pm mass murdered 20 able-bodied men in their custody.
“The offence that warranted their gruesome killing was that their
relatives were not forthcoming with the bail conditions demanded by the
police while the cell was getting congested.
“Also, citizens, Nonso Ayalogu, an Onitsha indigene and Chekwube
Okeke from Nanka detained on 19th March 2009 for two different
allegations of attempted kidnap and car robbery at Awkuzu SARS are yet
to return home four years after, whereas, there is no record of court
arraignment or prison remand about them anywhere. The list continues
even now.
“Today, people involved in civil matters and family disputes top the
list among the detainees at Awkuzu SARS office and they pay heavily to
regain freedom or else they are threatened to be “taken to Abuja” a
euphemism for extra-judicial killing if they fail to comply.
“It is disappointing to discover that mass burial has already taken
place without efforts made to determine their identity and cause of
death or to unravel the myths surrounding the dumping of over 50
lifeless bodies at the Ezu River, Ugwuoba , Enugu state, a boundary town
to Amansea, in Awka North council, Anambra State. If we lack the
expertise to investigate the death, why not involve international
organisation?
“I remember that when the headless and limbless body of a five or
six-year-old child, was found near Tower Bridge, London, in September
2001, the UK (United Kingdom) police spent millions of pounds to
investigate it.
“When forensic tests, involving samples taken from the bones, linked
the boy to West Africa and subsequently to Nigeria, officers
investigating the case visited Nigeria in search of his roots. Now more
than 50 unidentified corpses discovered and we rush to give them mass
burial? Sad! Sad!! Sad!!!”
Police Command
absolves self
But the Anambra State Police Command insisted that its men recovered 18 bodies from the river.
Police chief (Nassarawa) said three of the 18 bodies dumped by
unknown persons were selected for autopsy. He said his command decided
to bury the remaining 15 bodies because they were decomposing.
Nassarawa also disputed the claim that there were gunshot wounds and machete cuts on the bodies.
The police chief said: “We have also discovered that there were no
gun injuries or machete cuts on their bodies as being speculated and the
bodies are not up to 30 or 50 as speculated.”
According to him, a team had been raised to conduct the autopsy.
Members of the team included the Commissioner for Health, the Police
Commissioner in charge of medicals and other pathologists from Anambra
and Enugu states. He said investigations were still ongoing.
SARS won’t join issues
The Officer in Charge of SARS, James Nwafor, a Superintendent of
Police (SP) said he could no longer commend on the issue since his boss,
the governor and the Amansea monarch Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo, have all
spoken.
Nwafor said: “Those in authority and with the power to speak to the
press have already done that. I wonder why you want me to still speak on
this issue. But let it be on record that anybody accusing SARS of being
the brain behind the dumping of the corpses is not a friend of the
society.
“Those who want the old order and who don’t love the peace and
tranquility now existing in the state are saying that. They are enemies
of progress in the society and as I speak with you now we are in Owerre
trying to resolve another robbery case.
‘’It is a rumour and misinformation. So, don’t believe it as we can’t
do such a thing. I know everybody likes the peace now in Anambra.”
He cautioned against blackmailing the police.
Also speaking, police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka said that the
command will not join issues with the CLO or any other group. He said
the command has swung into action to unravel the mystery.
He said: “We are concerned and everybody is concerned about how best
to unravel the mystery and not frivolities. We should subject ourselves
to empirical evidence and not noise making. Why should anybody apportion
blames when we are looking for solutions?”
Enugu yet to respond
The Enugu State Government has not sent its officials to the scene.
Its Commissioner for Information Chuks Ugwuoke said he was awaiting
briefing on the matter.
Ugwuoke said: “The truth is that I do not know what to tell you
because I cannot start talking without being adequately informed about
the matter.
“I am not sure that Anambra has contacted us on what to do about the matter. We will issue a statement when I am duly informed.”
His Water Resources colleague Charles Ajah said the issue of
providing drinking water to residents required the approval of top
government officials.
He said: “The provision of alternative sources of water requires
money and I have not been directed on that. It is only the higher
authority in the state that can make that happen.
“The only temporary alternative source of water I think the state can
give is the provision of water tankers to supply water to the people.
“The government cannot provide another river for them. As long as the
river is flowing, it will purify itself. Sooner Water from the river
would soon be safe for drinking.”
Obi suspends UK trip
Governor Obi, who cut short his trip abroad to visit the scene on Sunday, directed that all the the bodies be recovered.
Obi expressed shock over the discovery of the bodies. He was briefed
about the incident on the telephone on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday
morning, he was back for a trip to the United Kingdom.
He told reporters: “The fact that River Ezu flows into Anambra State
from another state, shows these corpses obviously floated from elsewhere
into our state. As you can see, the bodies are already decomposing and
this shows that this incident happened some time ago.
“But I do not care a hoot where they (the corpses) floated from from;
I am worried that this type of scenario could be witnessed in our
country in this age and time”.
He urged Nigerians to respect the sanctity of human life just as
other civilised citizens of the world believe that life is sacred.
“This is a most barbaric and unacceptable development. It cannot happen in any decent society,” Obi said.
It was learnt he had already contacted the acting Enugu State
Governor Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, to thoroughly investigate the strange
occurrence even as he has assured that his administration had already
begun a painstaking probe.
N5m reward for informant
Obi has announced an offer of N5 million to anyone who provides
useful information that will help in unraveling the cause and
circumstances of the strange incident
Amansea community leaders and officials from Awka North council
secretariat and Awka, the state capital, have visited the scene to
sympathise with residents of Ugwuoba, who have sent a Save-Our-Soul
(SOS) message to the Enugu State government.
Concern over epidemic
The council officials were worried over possibly epidemic that may be
caused by the decomposing bodies since residents depended on water from
the river for their daily chores and drinking.
Igwe Okonkwo and his chiefs, the lawmaker representing the Awka North
State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Mrs. Rebecca Udoji and
council chair, Joy Enweluzor, all condemned the perpetrators of the
heinous act against humanity.
The presence of a police check-point near the river where the bodies
were found aroused the curiosity of the people as no arrest was made.
Posers for security agencies
Some of the posers being raised include: Who gave the decomposing
bodies machete cuts? Was it not the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the
Nigerian Police that decongested its prisons of criminal suspects? Why
would they dump them in the river instead of burying them.
The lawmaker representing the Awka North and South Federal
Constituency, Emeka Nwogbo, yesterday commended the Obi for directing
the immediate drilling of a borehole for the people of Amansea to avoid
the outbreak of epidemic.
Nwogbo told reporters on the telephone that the quick intervention foreclosed imminent epidemic and health complications.
He appealed to the Inspector General of Police to ensure a thorough
investigation by the Commissioners of Police in Anambra and Enugu states
into the circumstances surrounding the death and dumping of the dead
bodies in his constituency.
The representative hoped that the autopsy ordered by the governor will go a long way to determine what killed the people.
He said that the efforts to recover the floating bodies and conduct a mass burial for them were in order.
Youths bitter
Youths in the council, under the under the aegis of Youths for the
Protection of Environment, yesterday lamented the approach of the Enugu
State government and its officials, who had not visited the scene three
days after the discovery.
A statement by the group’s chairman, Pascal Edozie commended Obi and
his officials as well as the Anambra State Police command for the
actions taken so far.
He said but for Obi who mobilised for the supply of potable water and
the construction of a borehole, Ugwuoba, a community in Euugu state and
other communities affected have not felt the presence of Enugu
officials.
Edozie said: “But for governor Obi, who left called off his trip to London for our people, things would have fallen apart.
“We thank him and all those who felt an epidemic was on the verge of
consuming a people and reacted positively. But look at Enugu state even
when the Ugwuoba people are affected, none of their officials visited.
Not even a councilor and yet we said there is democracy.
“We are unhappy with the attitude of the people and government of
Enugu state against not only their people but against us because they
would have come to say thank you to the Governor for doing a great
intervention for their people and our people.
Nwogbo said he would draw the attention of the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) to guard against adverse health conditions.
Commending Awka North transition committee for supplying clean water
to the people in the interim, Nwogbo said his motion before the House of
Representatives brought a resoultion by the National Assembly to task
law enforcement agencies to unravel the mystery found in Ezu-River.
The lawmakers asked for a quick action on the identity of the bodies
and directed NEMA and the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to provide
alternative water source to the affected communities since the Ezu
River is the only source of water for Amansea and Ebenebe and other
neighbouring communities.
NaijaCenter
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