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BY PHILIP NWOSU
Three naval officers have been arrested and detained by the authorities of the force for allegedly killing a civilian staff of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital (NNRH) inside Navy Town Ojo.
The three officers whose identities are yet to be made public are of the ranks of Lieutenant and Sub-Lieutenant (Captains and Lieutenants equivalent in the Nigerian Army).
The Nigerian Navy said in a statement by its spokesman, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu that all suspected personnel and the civilian lady involved in the fight that may have led to the death of the civilian staff have been identified and are currently under “close custody”.
The statement reads in part: “The Nigerian Navy (NN) is deeply saddened by the demise of Mr Ifeanyi Richard Onumaegbu and the circumstances surrounding his death.”
“The NN wishes to inform the general public that the deceased was an integral part of the NN family as a civilian staff of the Ministry of Defence attached to the Laboratory Department of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital (NNRH) Ojo, Lagos since 2009 and he served meritoriously. On 31 March 2024, he was found lifeless in his office at NNRH. A preliminary investigation revealed that 4 days earlier, on 26 March 2024, the deceased was involved in an altercation with a civilian lady and some NN personnel in Navy Town barracks.
Consequently, all suspected personnel and the civilian lady involved in the previous altercation were identified and are currently under close custody.
‘The NN has facilitated the movement of the deceased’s body to a reputable government hospital in Lagos based on the request of the family for an autopsy. The NN further wishes to assure his family and general public that all necessary measures are being taken to unravel the cause of death and any person found culpable would be prosecuted according to extant laws.”
