Ezu River corpses: ‘We’ve found out cause of death’

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi

The Anambra State Government says it has found out what killed the people whose corpses were found floating on the Ezu River on January 19, but that it is not in a hurry to reveal it.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Lawrence Ikeako, told Saturday PUNCH on Thursday that the report of the autopsy carried out on the corpses was ready and had been sent to the Senate and the police, which were investigating the matter.

Ikeako said the government was very willing to make public the report of the autopsy but it must get a clearance from the Senate and the police before doing so.

He said the ball was now in the court of the police and other security agencies to find out what killed the 20 young men.

“If the Senate says we should go ahead and release it, we will do so. We have nothing to hide. We have found out what killed the people. It is for the law enforcement agencies to find out who killed them,” he said.

But the police in Anambra State have declined commenting on the issue, saying they were still investigating the incident, which attracted global outrage.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, told Saturday PUNCH that he was not aware that the autopsy report had been submitted to the police.

But he said he would not be able to make further comments on the matter because investigations were still on.

A leaked report said that the autopsy discovered that the corpses had gunshot wounds on them. But some observers said the police and the government were reluctant to push the matter because there were strong indications that security agents could have been responsible for the killings.

The Senate Committee on Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence had visited the scene twice and had conducted public hearings on the incident. The Senate, since then, has not said anything about the incident.

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra claimed that nine of its members arrested late last year by security agents were among the people whose corpses were dumped in the Ezu River.

The police have denied MASSOB’s claims, but had said investigations would reveal the true identities of the corpses, what killed them and where they were killed.

PUNCH