Truck driver killed during police shootout finally buried

Chinedu Ukwu, a truck driver who was killed during a shootout by police operatives in Abia State, has finally been buried.

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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.

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 Police Area Command in Aba and another police team from Umuahia, the state capital.

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Residents claimed the operatives appeared to have mistaken themselves for members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the area.

IPOB, a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, has been linked to some deadly attacks in South-east and South-south.

In a statement on 15 August 2024, the police spokesperson in Abia, Maureen Chinaka, said police authorities had begun investigations into the incident.

Ms Chinaka, then an assistant superintendent of police, 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,” she stated.

The police spokesperson further told PREMIUM TIMES on 15 August 2024 that a stray bullet killed the victim during a shootout between police operatives and some hoodlums.

She suggested that there was no evidence that the stray bullet came from police operatives.

Meanwhile, the family, in August, asked President Bola Tinubu to ensure justice for the slain victim.

In November, the family detailed how they had been battling to survive following the death of their breadwinner.

Initial refusal to release body

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police in Abia initially declined to release Mr Ukwu’s corpse to the family.

Daniel Ukwu, the family head, told this newspaper in November 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,” Mr Ukwu said in November.

He added that the police had also prevented them from seeing the corpse at the mortuary.

Mr Ukwu later told PREMIUM TIMES that the police released the corpse to the family on 21 January.

“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 the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, over the incident and the refusal of the police to release his 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.

“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).”

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Burial

Mr Ukwu told this newspaper on Wednesday that the family buried the slain truck driver last Friday at his home town in Arondizuogu, Ideato North Council Area of Imo State.

He, however, regretted that the police authorities and the Abia State Government were yet to render any assistance to the family of the deceased.

“Not even a sympathy visit to us since then,” the family head said.

He appealed to the Abia State Government to assist the family, given that life had been tough for them since the loss of their breadwinner.