Odekpe Community in Anambra West Local Government Area has appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to allow independent autopsy to be carried out on their late son, Peter Ekwealor.
The indigene of Odekpe community in Anambra State was alleged to have been detained for 14 days along with two others from the same community by the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team.
Ekwealor died in their custody on June 23.
He was alleged to have been detained for an age long dispute over a piece of land between Odekpe community and Allah/Onugwa village, both in Anambra State.
In a petition written to the IGP through a law firm, Afuba Anaenugwu Obi and Partners, Anambra State, the community alleged that the recent crisis between the two communities was mediated by a third party.
According to Afuba Anaenugwu in the petition, the recent crisis was masterminded by a serving police officer in Delta State.
Anaenugwu said the long drawn communal land dispute led to destruction of property on April 21 and heavily armed policemen were said to have been mobilised to Odekpe community to allegedly cause havoc.
He said in the process of the communal clash, the policemen opened fire, which led to the destruction of many property and the death of one Aboy Uduaka-Okewu.
He added that upon the destruction of property in Odekpe community, the police unlawfully arrested and detained his clients, among who is the late Ekwealor.
According to Anaenugwu, it is in the bid to restore peace within the warring communities that the government of Anambra State set up a committee to look into the cause of the dispute and then proffer recommendations.
The petition said: “Delegates from all the warring communities appeared before the committee and were admonished to sheath their swords and maintain status quo in order for the committee to look into the dispute.
“The committee assured our clients community that there will be no further harassment, arrest and detention of its members or delegates who were to attend the reconciliation meeting.
“Sadly, on the June 11, some officers from IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT) ambushed two of our clients, Chief Peter Ikechi and late Peter Ekwealor on their way from the reconciliatory committee meeting.
“The both were arrested and swiftly taken to Asaba in Delta, where our third client was arrested, Mr Ekene Okona on June 12, and they were quickly taken to an unknown destination in Abuja and have since been detained.”
Anaenugwu alleged that ever since their clients were detained on the June 13, the police completely deprived them of food and water and were subjected to all forms of torture and intimidation which led to the death of one of them.
He therefore urged the IGP to use his good office to ensure justice to this matter by allowing independent autopsy to be carried out on the late Ekwealor.
Anaenugwu also urged the IGP to call the police officers in the matter to order, and ensure proper discipline was invoked on the police force that would restraint them from using brutal measures whenever they carried out their duties.