Delta Monarch Writes Police Over Alleged Murder, Faults Exoneration of Suspect

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The King of Otulu-Ugo in Aniocha South, Delta state, Francis Medolunwa, has written the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, over the summary exoneration of alleged suspects in a fatal shooting in the community.

In the petition sighted by THISDAY, the monarch urged the police boss to reopen investigation into the circumstances that led to the killing of a youth in the community in 2021.

The monarch insisted that all those involved in the incident that led to the shooting to death of one Cletus Okpala should be investigated and brought to book.

In the petition, the king alleged that the decision by the police to charge only one suspect in connection with the crime was unsatisfactory to the community.

According to him, there had been a dispute between Otulu-Ugo community and Ogwashi-Uku community, in Aniocha which led to a court case marked No 0/38/2021.

Bur while the suit was still pending, he noted that the king of the other party to the matter wrote a letter to “our community giving us seven days to meet with his community , knowing full well that both communities had a matter still pending in court.”

The king pointed out in the petition that even before the expiration of the seven days, the other party encroached on Otulu-Ugo to perform certain rites and allegedly destroyed some buildings, which drew the ire of the youths.

“When the youths felt angry and tried to caution them, then one of the vigilante members shot Cletus Okpala to death. His corpse presently lays in the mortuary at the Specialist Hospital in Asaba,” he added.

He faulted the police legal department’s decision to charge only the man who is suspected to have directly shot the late Okpala, appealing to the Inspector General to revisit the legal advice.

“It should be possibly assigned to a neutral person to review and charge all the suspects involved as there is clear evidence before him so that the court can determine whether they committed such act or not,” the Delta monarch maintained.

“We are crying to the Inspector General of Police to let him know about the biased legal advice rendered by the Commissioner of Police, Legal at the Force Criminal Investigation Department (CID) , Abuja,” the petition read.

With the suspect having allegedly confessed to the crime and mentioning all the persons involved and recovery of a pump action weapon, the monarch called for a revisiting of the matter.

“On Tuesday 10 January, 2023, I visited the DIG FCIID to complain about the delay in rendering legal advice…only for the legal advice to be out the next day exonerating all the principal suspects involved, except the suspect arrested in possession of the pump action,” he alleged.

While appealing to the Inspector General of Police to revisit the legal advice rendered by the legal department and possibly assign a neutral person to review and charge all the suspects involved, the monarch stated that there was clear evidence before the police to do so.