A civil society organisation, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has petitioned Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), calling for an independent review into the death of a 19-year-old in Enugu State following contradictory official police conclusions on whether the teenager was murdered or died of natural causes.
In a petition dated 26 December and shared with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, the organisation said its intervention is not based on a definitive finding of homicide, but on what it described as the failure of the Nigeria Police Force to transparently reconcile conflicting investigative outcomes reached by different police units.
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RULAAC said the contradictions are institutionally significant because they involve divergent findings by separate police formations on the same death, raising questions about investigative coordination, evidentiary standards, and the authority of final police investigations.
The organisation warned that the absence of a clear, reconciled official position risks undermining due process, public confidence, and internal accountability within the police.
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“These contradictions raise serious unresolved questions regarding the actual cause of Nnamdi Chidi’s death, the existence and findings of any autopsy or medical reports, and whether criminal justice processes are being influenced by competing petitions, internal community conflicts, or abuse of police authority,” RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, wrote.
Mr Chidi, who was linked by maternal origin to the Agunese Mmaku community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, died on 8 May under circumstances that have since generated sharply opposing narratives involving community members and different police formations.
How it happened
In early May, detectives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja, arrested a community member, Emmanuel Okeke, in connection with issues arising from the Agunese Mmaku community.
According to one account, an alleged attack occurred at the home of Mr Chidi’s family in the early hours of 6 May.
Mr Chidi died two days later, on 8 May, at Beacon Hospital in Awgu.
In the days that followed, the Enugu State Police Command reportedly treated the matter as a homicide, conducted an autopsy, and arrested a suspect before the Force Headquarters Homicide Unit later took over the investigation.
A subsequent review by the IGP Monitoring Unit disputed the homicide claim, resulting in conflicting official narratives that later prompted RULAAC’s petition to the Inspector-General of Police on 26 December.
Account alleging homicide
According to information presented to RULAAC, the Enugu State Police Command linked Mr Chidi’s death to injuries allegedly sustained during an assault on his family home following the arrest of Emmanuel Okeke.
Police investigation said threats were issued shortly after the arrest and that in the early hours of 6 May, Mr Chidi was assaulted during an attack on the compound.
He was taken to Beacon Hospital, Awgu, where he died two days later.
In a letter dated 5 December to the deceased’s maternal uncle, Jonathan Onuoha, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iya Muhammad, confirmed that the autopsy and investigation reports were released to the family following a formal request.
According to the police, the autopsy was conducted on 20 August at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, by a consultant pathologist, I. O. Nwidenyi, in the presence of the investigating police officer. The deceased’s body was identified by his uncle.
The police said the postmortem examination revealed multiple external and internal injuries, including bruises on various parts of the body, contusions on the scalp, intracranial haemorrhage and brain swelling.
Investigators said the pattern and severity of the injuries were consistent with repeated blunt-force trauma and not with a sudden natural medical episode.
A copy of the autopsy report seen by PREMIUM TIMES stated that Mr Chidi suffered fatal head injuries. The pathologist concluded that the cause of death was severe head injury resulting from multiple blunt-force impacts.
The Enugu State Police Command described the incident as a premeditated and unlawful attack, adding that investigators had established a prima facie case of conspiracy and murder. Police said the suspects fled the area and remained at large.
Counter account denying homicide
However, a counter-narrative attributed to the IGP Monitoring Unit disputes the claim that any homicide occurred.
According to this account, RULAAC said the deceased’s mother allegedly stated that her son was not assaulted and died from natural causes linked to a pre-existing medical condition.
The Monitoring Unit reportedly concluded, following enquiries in the community, that the murder allegation was fabricated and rooted in longstanding internal disputes.
RULAAC stated that the police have not publicly clarified which of the two investigative outcomes reflects the official position of the Nigeria Police Force, nor have they explained how the differing conclusions were reconciled.
RULAAC’s core complaint
RULAAC said its petition centres on what it described as institutional silence and lack of transparency in reconciling contradictory investigative outcomes, rather than on challenging the authority of the police to conduct investigations.
The organisation said unresolved questions remain over the actual cause of Mr Chidi’s death, the authenticity and handling of any autopsy, and which investigative conclusions represent the official position of the Nigeria Police Force.
It added that uncertainty persists over the credibility and voluntariness of witness statements, as well as the respective roles played by the Enugu State Homicide Unit, Force Headquarters, and the IGP Monitoring Unit, noting that the lack of clarity has complicated accountability and continued to fuel conflicting public narratives.
RULAAC also raised concerns that counter-petitions, allegations of cyberbullying, and character assassination were allegedly deployed against individuals who raised the homicide claim, potentially discouraging witnesses and undermining investigative integrity.
“These inconsistencies, left unaddressed, risk eroding public confidence in law enforcement and the administration of justice,” the organisation said.
RULAAC called on the Inspector-General of Police to order an independent, impartial, and transparent review of the case, clarify the status of investigations, and ensure coordination among police units involved.
The organisation also urged the police leadership to prevent any actions that could undermine due process or give the impression of selective investigation.
Community, family dispute homicide claim
The police account of homicide has been disputed by the deceased’s family and some community members.
At a press conference on 20 December in Lagos, a lawyer, Vincent Okafor, and a businessman, Emmanuel Okeke, both indigenes of the community, said they had petitioned the IGP, disputing the autopsy findings and calling for an independent investigation.
They alleged that the autopsy report was fabricated and urged the police to exhume Mr Chidi’s remains for a fresh postmortem examination.
Mr Chidi’s mother, Augustina Onuoha, also denied that her son was assaulted, insisting that he died from epilepsy.
“My son was not beaten by anybody. Nobody touched him before he died,” she said in a video footage seen by PREMIUM TIMES.
The petitioners further accused the community’s traditional ruler, Cyprian Nevobasi, of using the incident to intimidate perceived opponents amid a prolonged leadership crisis in the community.
Speaking on the sidelines of the press conference, Mr Okeke also called for the release of his younger brother, Ifeanyi Okeke, who has been in detention in Abuja for nearly four weeks while investigations into the case continued.
Mr Nevobasi denied the allegations, saying he was neither a complainant nor a witness in any murder case and that he had withdrawn any petitions previously submitted to security agencies against community members.
However, the petitioners provided PREMIUM TIMES with copies of petitions allegedly written by Mr Nevobasi to the police and the State Security Service, accusing several community members of sponsoring armed groups.
They said some of those named were detained for weeks or months, prompting a suit at the Federal High Court in Enugu.
RULAAC’s concerns
RULAAC said its petition to the IGP was based on documents shared with it, including police investigation findings, an autopsy report, and correspondence with oversight bodies.
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RULAAC called on the IGP to clarify the status of the petition, issue clear directives prohibiting obstruction of petitions, and order a professional investigation into the issues raised.
Contacted via WhatsApp, the police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said on Friday that he would “find out” when asked to respond to the allegations. But he has yet to revert to this reporter as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.
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