Nigeria: ‘Revealed! Dead’ Man Lives Abroad

Some 12 weeks after the wife of a detained real estate businessman, Mrs. Precious Onwudinjo, accused the Nigeria Police Force, Zone Six Command, of being involved in a scheme to nail her husband, some emerging facts tend to give credence to Mrs. Onwudinjo’s allegation.

But, while the inspector General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, appears to be battling to beat the bad image of the police, some of his officers at the zone six command in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, do not seem to be worried.

Some police operatives within the zone, are alleged to be working in league with a powerful syndicate in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that specializes in dispossessing "poor" landlords of their houses and lands.

The grand master of the syndicate is set to be one "Dogwo". For those who know much about their operation in Port Harcourt, "that is not his real name. He is only widely known as such." However, the Dogwo group has been on the war part with Paul Onwudinjo, a real estate businessman over the ownership of an undisclosed building said to be originally owned by Gods will Ugari.

The said Ugari was alleged to be involved in the Umanah Umanah kind of wonder banking business. Hit by an alleged unbearable debt burden he allegedly sold the property currently in dispute, to Owundinjo in 2002, and fled the country with his family.

At Omorihuru village in Elele Alimini, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Ugari’s ailing mother, Theresa, claimed that she has not set her eyes on her son since he was arrested by "solders" in 2002, in the heat of his failed wonder banking business. However, most local people in the Niger Delta area, Nigeria’s main oil and gas region, often mistake the armed mobile police personal for solders

Buoyed by the news of Ugari’s disappearance the Dogwo group allegedly got their police contacts in zone 6 to effect the arrest of Onwudinjo, for the "murder" of Gods will Ugari. The accused person was arrested last August and dumped in Calabar. While searching his house for incriminating evidence, one police Inspector John, allegedly took away the documents showing that the property in disputes was bought from the supposedly murdered Ugari.

Apparently jolted by the accuse person wife petition to the IGP on August, 16 2006, men of the zone 6 brought Onwudinjo to Port Harcourt, and arraigned him before a magistrate court on September, 4 2006, before murder.

In a seeming hasty response to beat the likely outcome of the petition, the police went to court with only the charged sheet with out the case file. The court however, ordered that the accused person be remanded in prison custody. He is currently at the Port Harcourt prisons

In the mean time, the Onwundinjo family is alleging that the police are making "desperate effort" to nail their breadwinner in favor of the Dogwo group. Before now some police officer swho allegedly claimed to come from Abuja, had demanded the sum of N5.00million from the family to enable them let the accused person off the hook.

The move to swindle the family of the sum of N5.00m has since landed the police inspector in an orderly room trial.

While the police in Calabar are still claiming that the accused person murdered Gods will Ugari, the Ugari family are saying that they have no murder case with anybody.

Spokesman for the Ugari family Josiah, a senior citizen, said as an early August 2006, the allegedly murdered Goodwill Ugari was living in Cameroon with his family. "I do not have the current information on the way about" as at early August 2006, we heard that they were making moves to leave Cameroon for another country" he said.

It is however, believed that Sabinus and Charles the two other brothers of the supposedly murdered person know much about where there brother is.

Spokesperson for the police, Rivers State command, Mrs. Ireju Barasua a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) says she is not competent to comment on the matter.

Concerns are growing in the human rights circles on what key human rights groups in the oil region are seeing as ''a clear case of human rights abuse by the police''. Journalists for Niger Delta,JODEL, a media group concerned with the affairs of the oil region, saidd in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, that they will viewed the continued holding of Onwudinjo seriously. The media group has appealed to the police high command to ensure the release of the accused person as well as investigate the alleged involvement of men and officers of zone six in his current ordeal.

ENDS

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