A tragic incident at Senator Stella Oduah’s Estate in the Akili-Ozizor community, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, has led to the death of Noel Okechukwu, a 27-year-old final-year student of Fine and Applied Arts at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam.
The incident occurred on August 17, 2024, when Okechukwu was allegedly shot by local vigilante operatives attached to the estate. The circumstances leading to the shooting are heavily disputed, with the victim’s family claiming that he was killed in cold blood, while the vigilante group asserts that Okechukwu was involved in criminal activities.
Rex Okechukwu, the victim’s father and a former Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State council, has filed a petition with the Ogbaru Police Division, Atani, demanding justice for his son. According to Rex, his son was on his way to buy fresh fish from a pond inside the estate when he was denied entry by the estate’s private security guards. An altercation reportedly ensued, leading one of the guards to shoot Noel, who died shortly after the incident.
In his petition, Rex Okechukwu argued that even if the security guards believed Noel had committed a crime, their duty was to arrest him and hand him over to the police, not to execute him extrajudicially. The family is calling for justice and accountability for the actions of the security operatives.
However, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Atani, Mr. I. Andrew, has a different account of the incident. According to the DPO, reports indicate that the deceased was part of a group involved in looting and vandalizing properties within the estate. The security guards reportedly confronted the group, who were allegedly armed, leading to an exchange of gunfire in which Noel was killed.
The DPO also expressed skepticism about the claim that Rex Okechukwu is the biological father of the deceased, noting that Rex only reported the incident to the police six days after it occurred. The case file is expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Annex in Awkuzu for further investigation.
The conflicting accounts have created confusion and sparked outrage, with the victim’s family demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the truth behind Noel’s death.
