Parents of ‘missing’ undergraduate beg IGP to find him

Over 90 days after an undergraduate, Master Emeka Kelvin Shoremekun, was suspected to have been kidnapped from his university, his whereabouts is yet unknown.

The frantic mother of the boy, Mrs. Bridget Iwelu, through her solicitor Jiti Ogunye, Esq, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Suleiman Abba, imploring him to constitute an IGP Team from the Force Headquarters to take over the case and investigate same,

with a view to securing the release of   Master Emeka Kelvin Shoremekun from where he is being held captive, and bringing his abductors to justice.

In the petition made available to media house, the lawyer said that Shoremekun, 19, a 200level student of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Ifite, Awka, Anambra State, ‘disappeared’ from his hostel since June 2013. It is believed that the young man was kidnapped.

                                                             

According to Ogunye, the boy’s mother said that her only son, Shoremekun called her via phone, requesting for recharge card on June, 6, 2013. Since then, she had not heard nor seen him.

Ogunye said: “Worried that something untoward might have happened, she called her son’s girlfriend, Ada, whom she had previously met when she visited her son in school sometime in 2013, to enquire whether she had seen Shoremekun. Ada said she was in Lokoja, Kogi State. She charged Ada to help her look for her son as soon as she got to Awka.”

Three hours later, Ada called and informed her that on getting to his son's room in the Students' Hostel where he lived,  she  did not see him but  discovered  his cell phone was on his bed without  the SIM Card, which had been removed. Ada also noticed his unwashed food plate, the food remnants and crumbs of which had caked up.

Finding the situation intolerable, the father of the boy, Michael Iwelu, and his brothers, Augustine Iwelu and Ayo Iwelu, went to Awka in search of the missing boy.

“On getting to the hostel, they met the boy’s roommates, a boy named Felix and another, who took them to Master Shoremekun's supposed best friend in school;  a boy named Shedrack,” recounted Ogunye. “ Shedrack denied knowing Shoremekun, and in anger, Michael slapped Shedrack and a scuffle ensued which was later resolved. Shedrack continued denying that he knew Shoremekun until after he was dragged to Shoremekun's room, where he confessed that although he knew Shoremekun, he did not know his whereabouts.”

Michael and his said brothers could not report the case of the 'disappearance' of Shoremekun to the University Authorities because academic activities in the institution were paralyzed as a result of the industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

But they reported the case at the  Nigeria Police Force, Area "C" Command, Awka, Anambra State, being the nearest Police Station. 

Ada and Shedrach were consequently "arrested", made to write statements and were released.  A file was opened in respect of the case at the Area "C" Command, Awka, Anambra State. In the first week of November, 2013, some anonymous callers informed Ayo Iwelu, her brother-in-law on phone that Shoremekun was with them but was ill, that they were in camp which they did not disclose, and that they should be sent some money in order to take care of him.

The anonymous callers also stated that they learnt Michael and his brothers,  Augustine and Ayo had beaten up Shadrack when they went to Awka in search of Shoremekun, and threatened that if that " harassment" was ever repeated, they would retaliate ruthlessly against Shoremekun.   

Ayo  alerted his mother and the rest of the family members and they all insisted on speaking with Shoremekun  before sending money as demanded, but the anonymous callers refused,  promising  to call back in the evening of that day. He failed to call that day, but did so two days later.

The lawyer said: “He said Shoremekun  was fine, that he had volunteered to follow them, and that they would come back in December, 2013. Throughout December 2013, the anonymous callers neither showed up with Shoremekun , nor called on phone, as they had done previously.  In January, 2014, the parents went to the Nigeria Police Force, Area "C" Command, Awka, Anambra State to find out whether there were new developments or information, and to know the progress being made in the investigation, but they were shocked when the Police told them that they had not taken any further steps beyond the initial arrests of Ada and Shadrach and the statements they had obtained from them.”

Taking matters into their hands, the parents started pasting posters of their son as ‘missing.’ The National Television Authority (NTA) was also invited to broadcast for about three weeks an alert on the missing boy.

“Sir, our Client is conversant with the general state of insecurity in our Country, and the enormous challenges being confronted by the law-enforcement and security agencies in tackling the myriad cases of criminal activities in Nigeria. In these circumstances, the Police may appear overwhelmed with the enormity of these security problems. However, our Client refuses to accept that in the above-narrated circumstances of her son's abduction, kidnap or disappearance, the Nigeria Police Force, Area "C" Command, Awka, Anambra State is helpless, and can do nothing.

“Shoremekun had room mates, class mates and "friends", who can be grilled and thoroughly investigated in order to discover the truth about his disappearance. Profiled cult gangs in the University can be screened to determine whether any one of them was responsible for the kidnap/abduction.  The Nnamdi Azikiwe University Authority that was acting in loco parentis ought to have been made to answer certain questions.  Shoremekun had a cell phone, the call-log of which can be obtained for the purpose of investigation and conducting intense scrutiny of his call and SMS history, in spite of the removal and "disappearance" of the SIM Card.”

The solicitor added that the parents of the boy were willing, ready and prepared to give the necessary assistance and cooperation to the investigation team that may be constituted to take over this matter, as requested.