How gunmen killed car mart boss in Lagos

Suspected assassins have murdered Caleb Nwoauzuru, the proprietor of Caleb Motors in Jibowu area of Lagos State.
Nwoauzuru, a father of four, was killed by suspected gunmen on March 24, 2013 in Ishaga, Surulere when he went out about 10:30pm to buy fuel.
It was gathered that Nwoauzuru left his house at 53/55, Adetola Street, Aguda, Surulere earlier on Sunday March 24, 2013 at about 4pm to attend a prayer meeting at Agboju, around Festac area, Lagos State.
He was a member of the Assemblies of God Church, Aguda, Surulere.
He drove himself in his Mercedes Benz ML 430 SUV.
His wife, Chikaodi, told the Network For Police Reform in tears and palpable agony, how her husband called her at 7.49pm and informed her that he was through with the prayer meeting and had left the venue, heading to his office at Jibowu to pick some cash to buy fuel at Ishaga, Surulere.
However, this turned out to be her last chance to converse with a man she had lived fondly and happily with for about 10 years, NOPRIN said in a statement.
Continuing, the statement pointed out: “Between 8.30 and 9.00pm when, unusual of him, the man had not returned home and had not called again, Mrs. Nwaozuru called him on his mobile; the phone rang without answer. After repeatedly calling him without answer, she called the office, and inquired, and someone in the office confirmed that the man actually got to the office but had driven out again to Ishaga to buy fuel.
“Initially, Mrs. Nwaozuru felt that her husband might still be driving at the time she was calling him and he could not answer calls. She gave sometime hoping that he would later return her calls. But alas, several hours later, the man did not return her calls. After further failed attempts up to 12 midnight to get him on phone, she became understandably alarmed. This was unusual. The man was not known for keeping late nights and never failed to communicate with his wife.
“The distressed woman then picked a cab at about 12.20am and went in search of her husband. She drove through all their usual routes – from the house to office at Jibowu, to Ishaga and other places and back home. Yet, there was no trace of him or his car. She returned to the house at about 1.30am, but the man was still not back. By this time, his number was no longer available. It became a night of anxiety and futile vigil in wait for his eventual return. He never returned.
“Later in the morning of Monday, March 25, 2013 Mrs. Nwaozuru went to her Church Pastor, Revd John Okorie of the Assemblies of God Church, Aguda, Surulere. The Pastor accompanied her to the nearby Aguda Police Station where they lodged a complaint about the missing man. The police officers on duty, after recording their complaint, took Mrs. Nwaozuru’s mobile and asked them to go, promising to radio the police control room so that the information could be shared among other police stations, and to call her if he had any useful information.
“About one hour after they left the police station, the policeman called her asking to speak with the Pastor. She gave the Pastor’s number. Shortly after, the Pastor came to the residence of the Nwaozurus and informed Mrs. Nwaozuru that the police informed him that there was a case of armed robbery at Ishaga, near Itire (the area Mr. Nwaozuru told his wife he was going to buy fuel). The police said that neighbours around the scene of the robbery had called the Area ‘C’ Police Command, Surulere and reported the robbery incident, and that there was a dead body of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
“When the Pastor and Mrs Nwaozuru got back to the police station, the police explained to them that the robbers dragged the man out, shot him and snatched his SUV and made away with it. The police said they evacuated the dead body and deposited it at the mortuary of the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba.
“Some members of Nwaozuru family went to the mortuary and identified the dead body as that of Mr. Caleb Nwaozuru. Upon examination, they found that he was shot at the lower part of the two femurs (thighs). He was also shot on the waste from behind and the bullet apparently pierced through the front of the lower abdomen, leaving a hole.
“The police also explained that as the robbers fled with Mr. Nwaozuru’s SUV, they gave them a chase firing at them.
“Later on that Monday, March 25, 2013 the police called to say they had recovered the car where the robbers abandoned it somewhere at Victoria Island, Lagos.
“The car was later released to the family by SARS, Ikeja after the IPO whose name was not given had demanded and received some money ‘for security’ from the grieving woman.
“Upon examining the car as it was parked within the compound of the house where the family lives, the back shield was almost completely shattered, with pieces of broken glasses scattered inside the booth of the car. There are several bullet holes on the body of the car including at the booth and the two sides. There is also one visible hole on the driver’s side of the windscreen. Curiously, none of the robbers whom the police said they fired at while fleeing was apprehended either dead or alive.
“There are at least 3 bullet shelves found inside the car. Curiously also, some weapons presumably owned by the robbers were found in the car covered in a sack. They include a sledge hammer and two long ‘cutters’. Also found in the car were one pack of sealed adhesive (plaster) and a brown coloured cap with white stripes in between.
“Mr. Nwaozuru’s red-coloured phone cover was also found in the car. The IPO Cpl. James told Mrs. Nwaozuru that her late husband’s hand bag and phone were found in the car and handed over to the Pastor. The police also recovered some cash in the car which the IPO said they kept as exhibit.”
“There were scanty blood stains on the front passenger’s seat and on the back seat, but none on the driver’s seat, suggesting that Mr. Nwaozuru may not have been shot while on the driver’s seat.
“The mortuary attendants informed the family that they carried out an autopsy on the body of the victim on request by the police. But the family said they were neither informed prior to this, nor has a copy of the result been given to them.”
NOPRIN sent a a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, dated April 1, 2013, titled: THE KILLING OF MR. CALEB NWAOZURU (PROPRIETOR, CALEB MOTORS, JIBOWU, LAGOS): WILL THE POLICE THIS TIME, SOLVE THE KNOTTY PUZZLE?.
NOPRIN called for a transparent and thorough investigation of the murder.
The petition reads: “It is curious how the police left in the car the weapons which ought to be exhibits and returned them – along with the car – to the family while keeping back cash as exhibit!
“Is this truly a case of being a victim of armed robbery, or a case of assassination…?
“There is the need to carry out a ballistic examination of the bullets extracted from the body of the victim during the autopsy to determine the type of gun used to kill him. This is why autopsy ought to be a transparent process, carried out with the involvement of the family or their medical and/or legal representative.
“Will the police fill in the blank spaces in this matter? The family deserves to know the truth, how and why their breadwinners died. It is imperative, for the purposes of justice and clarification, that the police unknot the puzzle over the sudden, untimely and tragic death of Mr. Caleb Nwaozuru (52), Transporter and proprietor of Caleb Motors, with offices at 17, Ikorodu Road, Jibowu, Lagos.
“It is painful enough that life could be so suddenly and brutally snuffed out of a young man, thereby rendering his young wife a widow so early in life, and his four tender children fatherless. But it is even more painful if the family, friends and loved ones are unable to understand the exact circumstances surrounding the tragic death of their breadwinner.Each time this type of situation arises, we wish, once again, that we had an efficient and functional police service capable of public confidence and trust, adept at utilising intelligence to unravel incidents, and uncovering/telling the truth.”