TRAGEDY ROCKS ANAMBRA COMMUNITY AS STUDENT KILLED BY SENATOR ODUAH’S ESTATE GUARDS
A chilling incident has left the Akili-Ozizor community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra state in a state of shock and outrage. A final year Fine and Applied Arts student of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Noel Chinedu Okechukwu, was shot and killed by private security guards attached to Senator Stella Oduah’s Estate on Saturday, August 17.
According to a petition filed by the deceased’s father, Rex Peters Okechukwu, a veteran journalist and pioneer Secretary of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra state council, Noel had gone to the Estate to buy fresh fish from a pond when he was confronted by the security guards. The guards allegedly disallowed him entry into the compound, leading to an altercation that ended with one of them shooting him at close range.
The petition alleged that after being shot, the guards gave Noel water to drink, which he took before giving up the ghost. The guards then sent a motorcyclist to inform the bereaved family of the unfortunate incident.
The family is demanding justice against the private guards, who they claim had no right to take Noel’s life in such a brutal manner. The deceased’s father lamented that even if his son had committed any crime, the guards should have arrested him and handed him over to the police for prosecution, rather than taking the law into their own hands.
However, the Divisional Police Officer at Atani, Mr. Andrew, has a different account of the incident. According to him, Noel was among a group of looters and vandals who had been terrorizing properties inside the Estate. The security guards confronted them, but they opened fire on the guards, leading to a shootout that resulted in Noel’s death. The DPO claimed that Noel was caught with his gang members armed with pump action guns looting and vandalizing the Estate.
The police have concluded arrangements to transfer the case file to the State Criminal Investigation Department, CID Annex, Awkuzu for thorough investigations. The DPO has also raised doubts about the identity of Noel’s father, saying that he only reported the incident on August 23, three days after it occurred.
The tragic incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice for Noel’s family. The community is demanding answers and accountability from those responsible for his death.
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