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…The police connection
From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Miss Ishmel Ayibaye, an undergraduate, is not happy at the moment. She is distraught as she continues the search for her missing stepbrother and breadwinner of the family, Friday Ilaya Akpomudiro.
The 32-year-old Akpomudiro relocated from Abuja to Warri, Delta State, about two years ago after the death of his mother. He came to settle in the oil-rich city with his fiance, 12-year-old son, Ayibaye and one other person.
But on March 4, 2023, Akpomudiro left home and was on a motorcycle along Usiefurun road in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state when a police team from Otu-Jeremi division on stop-and-search operation allegedly whisked him away to their station.
Ayibaye told our correspondent in Asaba that her brother, who is into tech and crypto currency business, had $7,000 on him at the time of his arrest. She said he was also wearing a Rolex wrist watch worth N5 million and had an exotic iPhone 14 Pro Max.
According to her, on the day of the alleged arrest, Akpomudiro sent a text message to his cousin that he had been taken to Otu-Jeremi Police Station
“So, we quickly rushed there – myself, my aunt and his fiance. When we got there, they said we should leave that they were still conducting investigation. And up till now, we have not heard from him,” she said.
Ayibaye offered an explanation why her brother was carrying such quantity of hard currency when he left the house.
Her words: “Before he left the house that morning, he had $7,000 with him. I came home from school for the election break, I am a student. I told him about my bills – rent, school fees and all of that.
“So, he said he was going to convert the dollars, that was why he carried it from the house. And that when he comes back, he would give me money so that I can go and resume. He wore a Rolex wristwatch worth about N5 million and took his14 Pro Max iPhone.”
According to her, there is a new twist as the police are now denying ever arresting Akpomudiro or having him in their custody.
“Up till now, we have not heard from him. The police are denying, that they don’t have anybody like him in their custody. It’s almost two months, we have not heard from him. We have not seen him, his phone is switched off, nothing is connecting.
“We have checked all the stations, we can’t find him. He had no criminal record or issue before the sudden disappearance, it just happened. We want the police to tell us where he is, what happened to him. It’s almost two months.
“Where is Friday Ilaya Akpomudire? Where is he? They are not telling us anything, nobody is saying anything. Where is my brother? The family demands to know. What happened? Why was he arrested?” she wondered.
In a petition to the state Commissioner of Police, the family alleged that there was a desperate plot to cover up the facts surrounding the unexplainable disappearance of Akpomudiro by officers at Otu-Jeremi with their denial that they ever arrested him.
The petition stated: “The DPO had earlier told a lawyer who went for the case that Mr. Friday was indeed brought to their station but was taken away the next day by another team of police officers but he declined in stating the team and their base.
“Consequent upon the fact, we demand that you cause a holistic investigation into the matter as we strongly believe the DPO and officers of Otu-Jeremi Police Station know the whereabouts of Mr. Friday
“It is a sad tale to find out that a citizen of this country can be taken out of circulation by police officers who are supposed to protect lives of citizens and more worrisome is the fact there appears to be no hope in this regard
“The family demands and deserves to know if Mr. Friday is still alive or has been killed in the custody of the police. The family of our client has been thrown into depression and psychological trauma now as a result of the disappearance of Mr. Ilaya Friday Akpomudire.”
Meanwhile, the Delta State Committee on Human Rights has also stepped into the matter, according to Comrade Terry Oteri, who doubles as the Ombudsman to the state governor.
Oteri is wondering why a full-grown Deltan would just disappear into thin air without anybody offering an explanation, adding that the committee has written to the police and it is expecting feedback.
Oteri said in his telephone conversation with the DPO of Otu-Jeremi, the police admitted that Akpomudiro was arrested.
“The DPO told me that he was on election duty on the day of the incident. He also agreed that some tactical team actually arrested a young man to the division but because they did not have the necessary requirements to receive the young man that the tactical team left with him.
“And I asked him, which tactical team, where are they from? If actually they were tactical team, no matter where they are coming from, they must introduce themselves as police officers attached to somewhere. Did they not introduce themselves? Then he hung up on me.
“But the committee has heard from her (Ayibaye) and, hopefully, they will write to the police command, and they will be expecting feedback. So we are just hopeful that the brother is alive, and the police will have good explanation to his whereabouts,” Oteri added.
But the state police command has maintained it’s stand that Akpomudiro is not in their custody.
Police public relations officer of the command, Bright Edafe, challenged the family to provide evidence that the police actually arrested the 32-year old man.
