THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the IGP Monitoring Unit to conduct a thorough investigation into the suspected murder of one Andrew Amechi (Ochekwo).
This followed numerous allegations, arguments and counter-arguments surrounding the case, involving the disappearance of two ladies- Celine Ndudim, a Nigerian, and and Afiba Tandoh, from Ghana- after their trip to visit Ochekwo in Aba, Abia State.
A statement by the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi (ACP), said: “In light of the public interest and gravity of the allegations, the IGP has deemed it necessary to institute a meticulous investigation into the roles played by the team, which carried out the initial investigation in Abia State, and the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) to unravel the veritable facts of the matter.
“The Monitoring Unit has been given a two-week time frame to complete its investigation and present a comprehensive report.
“The IGP assures that this case will be handled with the utmost professionalism and integrity, urging all well-meaning members of the public and all stakeholders to remain calm and allow the investigation process to proceed without interference.
“Similarly, all persons/groups with relevant information regarding this case are encouraged to come forward and assist with the investigation, and all such information provided will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
“Reach us via email at pressforabuja@police.gov.ng, and our social media accounts.
“The Nigeria Police Force appreciates the cooperation and support of the public and hereby reassures that timely updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.”
Recall that the death of the two ladies had been shrouded in mystery and secrecy, with allegations and counter-allegation. The two ladies went missing shortly after visiting Ochekwo, who they had reportedly met on Facebook.
The Punch reported that they had embarked on what has now probably turned out to be their last journey on April 27, together, from Port Harcourt to Ochekwo’s residence in the Ogbor Hill area of Aba.
Ochekwo was earlier seen in a viral video clip on social media inviting the two to his home for a “hook-up.”
Human rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, in a series of Facebook posts, disclosed that Ochekwo allegedly held Ndudim and Tandoh hostage after their arrival and in May, posted that the ladies had gone missing.
Ochekwo was subsequently arrested by the Police Divisional headquarters in Aba for being in possession of ‘women’s belongings.’ But Ochekwo insisted on being innocent.
Gwamnishu, in subsequent posts, alleged that other women had came forward with testimonies, claiming that Ochekwo had previously kidnapped and attempted to murder them before they managed to escape.
The case was subsequently transferred from Aba to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Abia State Police Command in Umuahia, and eventually to the Force Headquarters in Abuja after an unidentified individual petitioned the IGP, alleging that Ochekwo was living in relative comfort while in custody.
On Friday, May 31, Ochekwo was reported dead. According to media report, Gwamnishu in video on Facebook, revealled that Ochekwo had been killed while being transported by policemen from Abia to Abuja, adding: “Before I left Delta (State) with the victims’ families to Abuja, I got a call that Andrew Ochekwo, the man who kidnapped the two friends, was killed.
“They (Police) said while they were taking him (the suspect) to Abuja, the man tried to escape and he was shot dead.”
The rights activist uploaded another video showing a body, identified by staff of his human rights group, Behind Bars Initiative, as Ochekwo’s.
The group had travelled to Otukpo in Benue State, where the body had been deposited in a morgue, to verify the death.
It all got messier when Gwamnishu and the Intelligence Response Team of the Police from the Force Intelligence Bureau discovered a decomposed body in a bush near Ochekwo’s Aba residence.
Gwamnishu wrote: “Yesterday, about 10:00 p.m., we arrived in Aba in the company of Police officers from FIB-IRT Abuja, we went out for a search and discovered a decomposed body wrapped and dumped somewhere around ZeeRock Area Ogbor-Hill, Aba, Abia State.”
He explained that several parts, including the head, two hands and two legs were missing from the body, making identification challenging.
But a curtain used to wrap the body matched one seen in Ochekwo’s residence, indicating a possible connection, even as the identity of the body could not be ascertained.
Meanwhile, the missing ladies’ families are seeking justice in the matter. Celine’s sister, Tessy Ndudim, told BBC News Pidgin, that the girls were declared missing on April 27, 2024 and that she had also reported the case at the Abia State Police Command, which had begun investigation before it was taken over by the Force Headquarters.
Tessy said she got a call from her sister on April 27, shortly before their phones went off, telling her that the man she and her friend had gone to visit in Aba from Port Harcourt had kidnapped them. That same day, Tessy said she travelled to Aba and reported the matter to the Police.
She said Celine and Afiba had gone to see Ochekwo (also known as Amechi) in Aba and after a few hours, Celine was sent a WhatsApp message to one of her friends that she had been kidnapped and asked her to call the Police, crying for help.
Tessy said she shared this information with the Police when she got to the Abia State Police Command, adding: “The Police would have rescued my sister and her friend that week when I reported the matter to them, but they did not seem to take it seriously. They kept saying it was a gradual process and that wherever they were, they could not be injured.
“But I insisted, and they finally went for a search in the area believed to be their last location. But when they got there, they couldn’t access all the houses.
“I saw a car believed to belong to the suspect, because my sister had shared a video of the car when it came to pick them up at a hotel when they arrived in Aba.
“The Police dismissed me and said they would go for another search by 2am the next morning. When they got there, they said they didn’t see anything.”
The attitude of the Police in Aba made Tessy to write a petition to the Zone 9 Police Command in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, which gave an order for some policemen to undertake another search in that same location where the girls were believed to have been before their phones went off.
“It was the Umuahia Command that finally made an arrest in the same building I had told the first set of officers to check,” she lamented.
She insisted that the decomposing body found close to the home of the suspect was not her sister’s, saying the fact that the body was decomposing showed that the person had died long before Celine and Afiba visited the area, even as the Police said it was going to subject the body to DNA test to confirm.
Tessy said her family had been distraught since the news broke, adding that her mother had been sick since then, appealling to the Abia State Government to lend its voice in the matter, as many people had reported similar cases in the area.
It was gathered that Afiba visited Celine and joined her on journey to meet with Ochekwo.
Her husband told BBC News Pidgin that he was not happy with the way the Police were handling the matter, lamenting that the matter had lingered for over one month without headway.
He said he spoke to his wife when she left Accra, Ghana, with Celine, for Lagos, from where they went to Owerri, Imo State, then to Port Harcourt, confirming that he was aware that his wife accompanied Celine to Aba to meet Ochekwo.
He became more worried when he could no longer reach his wife, who was not responding to his text messages. He said he got a text message the next day from a friend of Celine that Afiba had been kidnapped alongside Celine.
He told BBC News that he reached out to Celine’s family members who reported the matter to the Police in Aba and followed up with all the things the Police said they needed.
He doubted that the body the Police were said to have recovered was his wife’s until a DNA test is carried out, adding: “I am not happy and I don’t believe that my wife is dead. If I knew my wife was dead, would I be talking to you like this?
“I beg the Nigerian Police to do everything possible to rescue my wife and her friend.”
He said: “I no believe am at all say Andrew Amechi don die until police show me im deadibodi and dem put hand for im neck and show me ogbonge proof say e don die, I no believe am!
“Andrew Amechi na sociopath wey di British Police also don declare wanted so no be pesin wey police go handle like small pikin. Make dem find way rescue my wife and ensure say justice dey served for dia mata.”
He had reported the matter to the Ghana High Commission and the Nigerian Embassy, urging them to ensure his wife is rescued alive and safe.
The Ghanaian High Commission expressed disappointment at the manner the case was (being) handled, with an official saying: “Irrespective of whatever the case is, those ladies did not deserve this gruesomeness. Afiba is married and she has a family. She deserves to be treated with dignity.
“I cannot say much on the matter because of its sensitivity and also because an official report is still being prepared on the matter. It is sad.”
