By Godwin Anene
Late auto mechanic, Chima Ikweunado, who died in the custody of Eagle Crack (E-Crack) Squad of Rivers State Police Command had undergone fresh autopsy over the controversies trailing the death of the victim.
This is even as the deceased’s family has again accused men of the Eagle Crack (E-Crack) Squad of Rivers state Police Command of extrajudicial murder of their son.
The Police had alleged that Chima who lost his life in the cell of the Mile 1 Division, Port Harcourt base of the E-Crack Unit for charges found to be false by a court died of excess sugar in his system.
Contrarily, the deceases cell mates had come out to affirm that he died of extreme brutality in the torture chambers of the E-Crack Squad, prompting widespread calls for justice over the incident including call for a fresh autopsy.
Official results on the fresh autopsy conducted Monday by pathologists at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) is yet to be released, but relatives and civil society groups who witnessed the exercise stressed that Chima’s body was badly mutilated.
Anthony Ikwunado, China’s brother who witnessed the exercise said, “The policemen scattered all of my brother’s body, including his hands and legs. When they brought the body, everywhere was blood, blood all over, we barely could recognise him.”
The development has further fueled public outcry for trial of the E-Crack Police team of four men and one female currently in police detention who are being accused of extrajudicially killing the late Chima just as civil society groups have discountenance echoes of out of court settlement of the matter between the police and family.
The family and interested civil society groups are relying on the four mechanic colleagues arrested alongside Chima to tell the true picture of China’s death after a Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt decorated their trial a travesty of justice on the advice of the Rivers state Director of Public Prosecution.
