Family finds missing sergeant through social media

Daniel

When Sergeant Daniel Nwankwo left home on April 21, 2017, his family members didn’t know that would be the last time they would beheld his face.

 Daniel, with Force Number, 424092, from Umuogbuji in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, disappeared after he went for an operation with three other policemen.

The family was hopeful that Daniel would soon come and were still waiting when one of them suddenly saw his obituary on a social media site. Shocked, the family members feared the worst and demanded that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) should tell them what had become of their son. How the social media site came up with the idea that Daniel was dead, has become a mystery to his worried family.

Till date, Daniel had not returned home and neither had his ‘corpse’ been found or retrieved. He remains missing.

A family member said: “Not knowing whether he’s alive or dead is the worst situation for us. Police refused to tell us anything.”

His family members have expressed disappointment over what they described as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) nonchalant attitude over towards his disappearance.

Daniel was attached to the Anti-kidnapping Unit, Akwa-Ibom State Police Command Headquarters, Uyo.

Daniel’s brother, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, an evangelist, said family members were perturbed by the continual silence of the police over the sergeant’s disappearance.

Chukwuemeka said: “That is the reason we are shouting; we feel very sad, not because he may be dead; death is inevitable and as a Christian and preacher, I believed that death can occur at any time. If Daniel is dead or something happened to him while on duty, it’s the responsibility of the police to inform his family.

“It’s devastating and very painful to us as family, but worst for my aged mother. It would have been a different thing if he was confirmed dead and his corpse brought home for burial. It’s easier to mourn a dead person, than a missing one.”

Chukwuemeka disclosed that their 78-year-old mother has been crying every day since the disappearance of Daniel, who is her last child. He noted that the Daniel is 33 and was putting finishing touches to his wedding plans before he went missing. He enlisted into NPF in 2013.

Chukwuemeka said: “Daniel is the last child of the family among eight children.  Our aged mother is totally devastated and a shadow of herself. It’s bad enough that Daniel might have died in such a gruesome manner, it’s even worse that the NPF cannot find his body and handover to his family for a befitting burial.”

Chukwuemeka noted that the family has resolved to use every available means within the ambits of the law to seek justice and make the NPF to account for the disappearance of Daniel.

According to police grapevine, Daniel and three other policemen were drafted to a troubled community. The four policemen instruction was clear; to arrest the leader fomenting trouble in the community at all cost.

A source said: “Unfortunately, the four policemen were overpowered. Their case became the hunters becoming the hunted.”

He added: “We have not resorted to self-help or violence, because we believe in the rule of law, justice, equity and fairness. We understand that Daniel, with three other officers was dispatched to Obot Ndom Community in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom State to arrest a suspected criminal kingpin. While, the other police officers returned from the operation, Daniel didn’t.

“The police tried to hide the incident from us. We only got to know about it through the social media post by one David Ekeng on April 22, 2017, where he announced the obituary of Daniel.  Since then, the family has made efforts to confirm the veracity or otherwise of the rumour. We have written several letters to the Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner of Police and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), with no response from them.”

Chukwuemeka said the family wrote a petition the National Assembly through their representatives in the senate and House of Representatives in the persons of Senator Enyi Abaribe and Honourable Solomon Adaelu.

He noted that Senator Abaribe had already called on him to express his sympathy and raised the matter on the floor of the senate.

“We’re yet to hear from Hon. Solomon Adaelu,” said Chukwuemeka.

Chukwuemeka further said: “Every effort made by the family to see the Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner of Police in person had been rebuffed. We have been treated with total disdain, disregard and highest level of insensitivity. We have also sent several emissaries to the IGP, who keeps assuring us that something was being done about our missing brother.”

Chukwuemeka appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, National Assembly, Executive Governors of Akwa-Ibom and Abia states, Civil Society and Human Right Organisations, to assist in asking the police authority the whereabouts of Daniel.

He said: “We want to bring to the attention of the Nigerians, the nonchalant and shabby manner in which the police have handled this matter, has left us with many unanswered questions. Why would the police send an under strength team to crack down such criminal gang in a volatile Niger Delta area?  Why has the NPF failed, neglected and refused to investigate, unravel, arrest and prosecute those behind the killing or disappearance of Daniel?

“What happened to our son and brother? Why has the NPF shielded the other police officers who were part of the operations from the family and the general public, including the inspector who led the team and the injured officer whom they claimed was rescued?  If a police officer on national duty could be treated this way, what then is the fate and hope of the ordinary Nigeria on the street? Why did the police high authorities redeploy the two principal officers, C.P Donald Anwunah and Supol Sadi Ado that are culpable in the sudden disappearance of Daniel?”

Chukwuemeka said that due to the lack of police insensitivity, he and other members of the family have concluded that Daniel was set up by his colleagues to be murdered.

He demanded that the IGP should as a matter of urgency, produced Daniel. He argued that if the policemen that went with Daniel on operation were able to rescue an injured policeman and recovered Daniel’s AK47 rifle, they ought to have been able to rescue Daniel.

Chukwuemeka called for the probing of Akwa-Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr Donald Awunah and Officer in Charge of Anti-kidnapping, Mr Sadi Ado for negligence of duty and complicity in the disappearance of Daniel.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), DSP Ikechukwu Chukwu, said that police were aware of what happened and had placed men on ground, who are searching for the missing sergeant.

The image maker said: “We cannot say that the officer is dead for now, but we are still looking for him. According to the law, there are a number of years somebody will stay missing before he or she could be declared dead. So, we are doing everything possible to see how we can find him.”

On the allegation that they were four officers that went for operation, with others returning with Daniel’s rifle, minus Daniel, Chukwu said: “There were four officers that went out that day, but only three returned.  It’s not true that they came back with his rifle.” 

The PPRO, however, declined to speak on the mission the four policemen that took the policemen to Obot Ndom Community in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom State.

Cab driver remanded for stealing client's N28m luggage

John Chikezie
A 29-year-old cab driver, Onyemechi Nwogele, has been remanded in prison by an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos for allegedly stealing $80 000 (N28.8m) and properties belonging to a client, one Mr Andy Chisor Wabali.
Magistrate Osusanmi remanded Nwogele pending the perfection of his bail conditions. Nwogele, who pleaded not guilty, was arraigned on a two count charge of conspiracy and stealing.
According to the charge, Nwogele stole the sum of $80000, a passport and a luggage containing an Apple IPhone, BlackBerry Z10, Microsoft Lumia phone and Samsung Galaxy phone, all valued at N280, 000, property of Wabali.
The police prosecutor, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Simeon Imhonwa, said that the incident occurred on August 7, 2017 at No 11B, Dr. Omo Egbohulu Street, Lekki, Lagos State.
Imhonwa said that the offences contravened Sections 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.
Imhonwa said: "The complaint reported that he called a cab man, Nwogele, who operates a car hiring service at Parktonian Hotel, Lekki to take him to airport. Nwogele took him first to his home from the hotel to carry his luggage and thereafter, drove him to his aunt's residence at Egbohulu Street. He left his luggage with the accused when entering his aunt's apartment to say goodbye. When he came out from the apartment, he discovered that the accused had made away with his bags to an unknown destination.
“Every effort to reach Nwogele on his phone proved abortive. The complainant immediately reported the matter to the police. Nwogele's cab was tracked and he was arrested.”
Magistrate Osusanmi, however, granted him bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two responsible sureties in like sum
Osusanmi said that both sureties must be working in a reputable company and their tax addresses must be verified.