Delta Commissioner, Four Others Arrested Over Deputy Director’s Death
The Delta State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, and four other persons in connection with the death of a Deputy Director in the state Ministry of Secondary Education, Mr Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.
Adeda reportedly died at his workplace last week, sparking controversy and calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Bright Edafe, disclosed in a statement issued in Asaba that Ashibogwu and three other suspects had been taken into custody.
According to Edafe, the latest arrests bring to five the number of persons currently in police custody over the death.
He added that the command had launched a manhunt for two key suspects, Mrs Clementine Ufuoma, Director of Basic and Secondary Education, and Clement Apia, the Commissioner’s driver, whose presence is required to aid the investigation.
The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Samuel E. Erale, urged the two suspects to report to the police without further delay, warning that they could be declared wanted if they failed to make themselves available.
Edafe quoted Erale as assuring that the investigation would be conducted thoroughly, impartially and professionally, with due process followed and anyone found culpable prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government had announced the establishment of an eight-member administrative panel of inquiry to investigate Adeda’s death.
However, the move reportedly did not sit well with members of the deceased’s family, who described the setting up of the panel as hasty.
The position was reportedly expressed by the deceased’s brother, Lloyd Sodje Adeda, who described his brother’s death as a “gruesome murder.”
The state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Chairman Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku, also came under criticism over its decision to suspend the industrial action earlier declared by civil servants following the development.
