Questionable Disappearance of UNIBEN Graduate

Questionable Disappearance of UNIBEN Graduate

For the Ezeugwu family, there are many unanswered questions on the disappearance of their son, Obinna, a University of Benin graduate, who disappeared mysteriously two years ago when he went for clearance for the mandatory NYSC programme. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the family is now seeking the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu

When Obinna Ezeugwu, a 26-year-old graduate of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) went back to school to do his clearance for his mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), nothing prepared his family for the turmoil they would be embroiled into. Barely two days after his arrival, he went missing and hasn’t been found two years and four months later.

Pains of a Family
The pains of the Ezeugwu family in Amaekwuru, Amal village, Orba, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, knows no bounds as they have been unable to find closure over the mysterious disappearance. Represented by Sir Onah Uche Godwin, they lamented that their son had gone to the university on January 17, 2017 to enrol in the mandatory NYSC programme but was abducted two days after he arrived Benin for the clearance.

According to the family, the police swung into action promptly and even arrested some likely suspects only for their joy to be cut short few days later when the police began to back-pedal soon after the relations of the suspects appeared at the scene.

“This was clearly evidenced when in no time, the suspects were released under unclear circumstances and the police in Benin blackmailed the DSS from stepping into the matter.

“They neither went to the house of the suspects to search for clues for useful information nor did they make the expected tracking of the phone numbers including the one Obinna had on him at the point of abduction. We were no longer in doubt that the police had compromised in the case not minding that human life is at stake,” they said.

The family stated further that on March 7, 2017, starring at the apparent “end of the road” in the case, they decided to report their plight and the non- committal attention they received from the police in Benin through a petition to the then Inspector-General of police with a firm belief that the police in Benin would be called to order to do the needful “but till date, nothing was seen to have been done.”

Initial Report

Police sources hinted that after the boy was abducted, a close family female friend that lives close to the scene narrated to detectives what she witnessed. She reportedly told detectives that the group of boys who were well known in the vicinity as questionable characters accosted Obinna while he was chatting with them and lured him out. According to sources, Obinna came back few minutes later and was behaving abnormally.

“When confronted by the people around, he was seen not to be himself and those boys that earlier came to see him burst in again and whisked him to unknown destination. That was the last he was seen but those boys were seen freely parading the vicinity unmolested while they could not account for Obinna’s whereabouts.”

Demands

Parents of the victim lamented that their only son had been missing for about two years now because the case was promptly reportedly to security agencies but nothing has been done to assuage their feelings.

In tears they said: “All we are saying is that he should be located dead or alive and those that abducted him who are very well known as bad boys apprehended and made to face the law.

“It is heartrending for us to go through this painful experience after suffering to train our easy going, soft-spoken and well behaved son and wicked people had to snatch him from us, just like that.

“We pray that IG Adamu Mohammed should wipe our tears and anguish because our hearts will forever remain with this innocent boy of ours that was made to go through this painful experience, the resultant effect, we are yet to know.”

Marching Orders

Following the fresh petition, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, was said to have given marching orders to the police in Edo state to round up the suspected abductors of the 26-year-old. The police boss gave the order to both the police in Benin and operatives of DCP Kyari Abba-led Intelligence Response Team (IRT), after the distraught parents of the boy alerted him following the inability of both the police and operatives of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), to make headway in the case.

Following the IGP’s directive, crack detectives have been assigned by Edo State Police Command to swing into action with a view to arresting all those connected with the abduction of the boy while a formidable team from the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Unit, have been briefed to wade into action and assist in locating the missing boy either dead or alive.

While it’s still early to know if the police will make a headway in the fresh investigation it has begun, it is pertinent to state that the clamour by the Ezeugwu family for closure needs to be assuaged with verifiable results.

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