Tejiri Ebikeme/Francis Sadhere
Family members of late Mr. Ifeanyi Obi, the Senior Driver of Delta State Commissioner on the board of the NDDC, Chief Tom Amioku, who was shot during last Saturday’s local polls in Delta State, have cried out for justice over the circumstances surrounding his death.
The driver in his late 50s was killed in Chief Amioko’s village, Egborode in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State when trouble broke out in unit 3 of the area.
Chief Amioku while speaking to our correspondents on telephone yesterday from Asaba claimed that his late driver was hit by a stray bullet.
According to him, there was a problem in unit 3 during the local polls and security agents tried to intervene but the atmosphere became very chaotic and he left the venue. The results of the unit, he said was eventually cancelled.
He said he left the chaotic scene with his team, adding that on their way his driver told him that he sighted the back-up vehicle being driven by his late senior driver rammed into a ditch.
In his words; “As we were driving, my driver told me that the back-up vehicle has fallen into a ditch. We went back to him, only to meet him in a pool of his blood. I am sure he was hit by a stray bullet. We moved him immediately to the Warri Central Hospital, but doctors confirmed him dead when we got there. I do not know where the stray bullet came from and from the Warri Central Hospital, I went to the Orerokpe Police station to report the matter and the matter is being investigated right now by the police.”
But family members of the late driver have cried out for justice, saying they are not impressed with the explanation of Chief Amioku.
The younger brother of the late driver, Rev. Fr. Paul Obi who spoke to our correspondents in Warri, yesterday on behalf of the family, said; “We are not satisfied with the story of Chief Amioku on the death of our elder brother who was preparing for the burial of our father who died recently at 90 years old.”
Rev. Fr. Obi who is the Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Umuochi Utchi, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta state added that; “At about 4:40pm on Saturday when I was getting ready to go for a confession in my parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Umuochi Utchi, I received a phone call from Reverend Father John Ibekwe who told me that he received a surprised call from Chief Tom Amioku. He said Chief Amioku just called him to tell him that my brother was shot during an election at Egborode.
“He went further to say that Chief Amioku had asked him to go to the mortuary to identify the corpse of my late brother which he did. According to Father John Ibekwe, Amoiku left them at the Warri Central Hospital to Orerokpe where he said he was going to formally report the case to the police. He did not go to the police station with any member of my family. He went alone and he never came back to report back to Father John Ibekwe to tell him how he went with the police. At the Central Hospital, Warri, Father Ibekwe called me again and asked me to tell one member of my family members to come and identify the corpse before he could be taken to the mortuary. So I called my brother who was in Sapele to go to the Hospital,” he said.
According to him; “Dr. Ken Ebonwe together with one other of my relations and his sister went to identify the corpse at the mortuary. Since the incident happened till date, Amioku has not come to see me. Instead he went to break the sad news to our mother who is her late 70s and my late brother’s wife.”
In his words also; “So, up till this moment that I am talking to you, I am yet to know what happened to my late brother. It was today that I came back that I went to see the corpse of my late brother at the mortuary. When I got there, what I saw was not good at all. I saw that he was shot at the throat. According to rumours that I am hearing, they said it was a stray bullet that killed my brother, but I am not satisfied with that explanation. How can a stray bullet hit somebody on the throat? It did not hit him on the back or any other part of his body. So what I am saying is that I do not know the true story of how my brother died.”
“I am not satisfied with the explanation given to me about the death of my brother because he could not have died that way since he is not a politician. He was the senior driver of Amioku. What I do not understand is why he was the only person that was shot among the people in the entourage. Amioku has a lot of escort following him as the commissioner of NDDC. That is why I am saying that his death is still shrouded in mystery. Why is it that he was the only one that was killed? Because I know that he was not a politician. I am not satisfied with the way my brother died. I am very angry right now and we are demanding that justice should be done to unravel how my brother died. The family is demanding for justice because he was the bread winner. We also understand that he was inside the vehicle with a mobile police man when he died,” Rev. Fr. Obi stated.
The mother of the deceased, while speaking to our correspondents in tears said; “They have used my son for election. Why have they done this to me? Is it because we are poor and they are now taking us for granted? Justice must be done over the death of my son.”
