…Bodies Still Missing
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, has said that efforts are ongoing to retrieve the bodies of two brothers, Newman and Collins Urgoji, allegedly killed by OSPAC, a local vigilante group, in Idu Ogba Community, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA)of Rivers State.
Speaking during a live radio program in Port Harcourt, on Thursday, CP Disu disclosed that several suspects linked to the gruesome incident have been arrested and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Port Harcourt for interrogation.
A visibly distraught elder cousin of the victims, Wade Ugorji, recounted the harrowing events leading to the brothers’ disappearance.
According to Ugorji, the siblings, aged 33 and 28, were on an errand to Idu community when they were intercepted by OSPAC members, robbed of their possessions, and callously labeled as kidnappers.
He said their motorcycles were seized before their lives were mercilessly snuffed out and their bodies vanished without a trace.
Ugorji lamented: “There was a rumor the next morning that OSPAC had slain two alleged kidnappers. But when the indigenes recognized the victims as Chinem’s sons, protests erupted, prompting OSPAC to whisk away the bodies.”
Fueling the family’s anguish, Ugorji revealed chilling threats directed at the eldest surviving brother, who dared to seek justice through legal channels. He added that “One of them has called me threatening to replicate the fate of my brothers if I persist in pursuing the case.”
Desperate for accountability, the family has appealled to the conscience of Nigerian citizens, Rivers State authorities, and local community leaders.
“Extrajudicial killings must cease,” Ugorji implored, “lest more innocent lives fall victim to unchecked brutality.”
Countering Ugorji’s claims, OSPAC’s spokesperson, Godknows Nkem, vehemently denied the group’s involvement in the brothers’ demise, attributing the tragedy to a violent clash initiated by the siblings and their alleged gang members.
Nkem maintained OSPAC’s innocence, asserting ignorance regarding any fatalities beyond their own wounded members. As the investigation unfolds, a community’s grief deepens, demanding not just answers, but swift and decisive justice to stem the tide of senseless violence.
