The family of a slain truck driver in Abia State, Chinedu Ukwu, has appealed to Governor Alex Otti of Abia to assist them in their difficulties caused by the loss of their breadwinner.
Mr Ukwu, a father of four, died on 14 August 2024 after being hit by a stray bullet during a reported shootout between two police teams in Aba, Abia State.
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He hailed from Ikpeze-Uno, Arondizuogu, a community in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, but resided in Aba.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the shootout occurred between police patrol teams from the Police Area Command in Aba and another police team from Umuahia, the capital of Abia.
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Residents claimed the operatives appeared to have mistaken themselves for members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the area.
But the police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, in a statement on 15 August 2024, said there was “no credible evidence to suggest that police officers mistook themselves for members of IPOB and fired at each other.”
“What we can confirm is that there was a shooting in that area, which resulted in the death of a civilian,” said Ms Chinaka, now a deputy superintendent of police.
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Plea for help
In a letter to Mr Otti, Daniel Ukwu, a brother of the deceased and head of the bereaved family, appealed to the governor to render any kind of assistance because the family has been battling severe hardship since the loss of their breadwinner.
“Sir, the condition of the family is dire,” the family head said in the letter dated 15 December 2025.
PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter,r which was acknowledged on 16 December by the Abia governor’s office.
Daniel, who wrote through his lawyer, C.C. Okoro, told the governor that he (Daniel) initially stepped in as the family’s breadwinner due to the incident, but has not done much because he retired as a banker in July 2012.
“I now live entirely on (my) meagre pension,” he said.
Daniel further pleaded with the governor to extend help to the family, who he said are “presently languishing in abject and horrible poverty.”
“We respectfully urge you to seize the opportunity of this Yuletide Season of love and humanity to ameliorate the stark condition of the helpless widow and children of late Chinedu Ukwu.
“We believe in you, and we trust in your capacity to settle this financial intervention, which we consider a privilege,” he said.
The family head hailed Mr Otti for his intervention during the period, which enabled the family to take possession of Mr Ukwu’s corpse for burial after the initial hiccups.
PREMIUM TIMES understands that the Ukwu’s family had written similar letters of request to the governor in the past.
Background
Days after his death, the family appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and assist them in their quest for justice.
They argued that the death of their breadwinner was due to the “recklessness” of the two police teams.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police in Abia initially declined to release Mr Ukwu’s corpse to the family.
Daniel, the family head, told this newspaper in November 2024 that the police claimed they were keeping the corpse because they suspected that the slain driver was an IPOB member.
“We have waited for them for more than two months to come up with their findings, but we haven’t seen anything,” Daniel had said in November 2024.
He added that the police had also prevented them from seeing the corpse at the mortuary.
The family head later told PREMIUM TIMES that the police released the corpse to the family on 21 January 2025.
“They gave us the tally and letter of authority to bury (the corpse),” he said.
He said the development came about three days after the family petitioned Governor Otti, over the incident and the refusal of the police to release the corpse.
“After our petition, we were invited to the Abia Government House and wrote a statement, and the governor ordered an investigation into our petition,” he recalled.
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“We collected the mortuary tally and the letter of authority to bury from the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police last Tuesday (21 January 2025).”
The family subsequently buried the deceased in February, six months after he was shot dead.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES in November 2024 detailed how the family had been battling to survive following the death of their breadwinner.
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