Protests, anger trail death of Rivers landlord in police custody
Olatunji Disu: Commissioner of Police for Rivers State.
Published By: Ayorinde Oluokun
…He was brutalized, tortured to death by Police, body dumped in an uncompleted building – Elder brother, ex-LGA Chairman
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
There has been pandemonium in the Woji, a community in the suburb of Port Harcourt, the Rivers Capital, since last Saturday as angry youths clashed with police during protests over the death of one Nyebuchi Eke, a landlord, who went missing and was later discovered dead after he honoured police invitation over a quarrel with his tenant.
Residents of Woji told our correspondent that business and social activities were disrupted again in the area on Monday evening as some youths who had been persuaded to stop their protests after the intervention of prominent chiefs and elders took to the streets again.
Eyewitnesses said this was after a video of the bruised and battered body of Nyebuchi as discovered in an uncompleted building in Chokocho Etche, many kilometers away from Woji, in Etche local Area started circulating in the community.
Eyewitnesses, including journalists living in Woji, said the protesting youths forced businesses to close down as they threw broken bottles and stones at the police operatives drafted to the community.
The protesting youths also made bonfires with tyres on the major streets in the area.
It was gathered that the problem began for Nyebuchi when he allegedly threw the belongings of his tenant out of his apartment over a disagreement on arrears of rent.
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It was gathered that the tenant rushed to the Office of the Surveillance Unit of the Police in the area and reported the action of his landlord to them.
The landlord and tenant were invited by the Officer-in Charge of the Surveillance Unit. But the landlord disappeared and did not return home after honouring the police invitation to the discomfiture of members of the community.
It took the intervention of the Woji Council of Chiefs for the police to reveal what happened to Nyebuchi and to ultimately reveal where his remains were hidden.
Reacting to the development, Solomon Eke, the elder brother of the deceased who was the Chairman of Obio-Akpor local government area said there is no doubt that his brother was tortured to death.
He demanded that the corpse should be taken to a recognized Government Hospital for thorough pathological analysis.
Meanwhile, the police Officer who allegedly tortured the landlord to death and the tenant have been arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department SCID of the Rivers State Police Command.
The Paramount Ruler of Woji Community, Eze Emeka G. Ihunwo, has assured his community that he will ensure justice for the deceased.
The River State Police Command was yet to react to the alleged torturing to death of Eke at the time of filing this report.
