How Hotel Manager Was Kill-ed By Army Over Death Of NAF Cadet In Abia | Read Details
One Mr Achimugu James Etubi, a sectional manager at Hotel Royal Damgrete in Umuahia, Abia state, has been allegedly killed by some operatives of the Nigerian Army.
Etubi from Kogi State who was the head of the food and beverage department of the hotel was said to have been tortured to death at the military barracks located at the premises of Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) during interrogation.
Etubi and some other staff were on Friday, picked up by military personnel over the death of a Nigeria Air force tarmac four cadet, identified simply as CDT Chidiebere who reportedly drowned in the hotel’s swimming pool on Tuesday, April 9.
According to sources, the Nigerian Army personnel led by one Major Inuwa who was reportedly investigating the death ordered soldiers including one of the Cadet officers who came with late Chidiebere to the hotel swimming pool to beat four hotel staff that were invited for interrogation to stupor after which he died.
“The Nigerian Air Force Tarmac Four cadet was identified as Cadet Chidiebere. The death of the cadet officer drew the attention of the state police and it made them begin investigation.
“In the process of investigating the death of the cadet officer, four persons were taken by the Nigeria Police Force for investigations, Mr. James Etubi inclusive. They were detained for a night and were released on bail. But a few days later, the military officers led by one Maj. Inuwa particularly, was said to have invited four persons including Mr James Etubi for further investigations, and threatened the owner of the hotel Mr. Steve Ihendigbo, to release the workers to the army or have his hotel damaged.
“The owner of the hotel now went against the police’s instructions to release them to the military just to save his hotel from attack,” a source revealed.
The source also noted that “When Mr. Steve was contacted after the killing of the manager he was scared to give full details for fear of the Nigerian military.
“The family, wife, and kids of the deceased are calling on Nigerians and relevant agencies to join voice and forces for justice in this inhuman treatment that led to the loss of life of Mr. Etubi.”
According to him, after the death of the said cadet officer, his staff called to inform him what was going on. “The Cadet officer came with two others. Two were cadet officers and a navy trainer. They came and parked their vehicle. We don’t know what happened because the deceased Cadet officer didn’t swim in the swimming pool. The next thing the other cadet officer started shouting that their college had drowned. We invited the police and fire service to pump out the water in the swimming pool but they didn’t do anything.
“To our greatest surprise, for about four hours he was reportedly inside the water, his stomach did not swell, and water didn’t come out from his mouth or nose.
“So, the policemen took the body took the body to the morgue and took four of my staff to their station. They didn’t come back till the following morning being Wednesday when they released. The police instead of interrogating the two military personnel that came with the deceased officer, were shading them.
“So, when my staff returned some soldiers led by a lady military police came demanding that they (four staff) should come to their office. In the morning Friday, the four staff went there before even 8 am. According to my staff, when they got to the barracks, the lady military police officer ordered soldiers to torture them. One of the cadet officers that was with the late Chidiebere whom we suspect knows what killed his colleague carried a stick with other soldiers and beat brutally. James could not withstand it he collapsed. Seeing what they had done the lady military police officer got a tricycle and told him to take his body back to the hotel.
“Other staff who had already been badly assaulted were telling them that the man was dying. They chased them out with the tricycle operator they had already paid. Instead of coming to the hotel, they begged the tricycle operator to take him to the hospital. When they got to the federal medical center Umuahia, he was pronounced dead,” he narrated.
