Car Owner Debunks Police Claims over Car Mechanic’s Death · Amaechi’s Former Aide laments police threat to life, calls for Buhari’s intervention

The police in Port Harcourt, Rivers State have come under serious rebuke following their claim that an auto-mechanic, Chima Ikwunado, who died in their custody, and four others arraigned for robbery and cultism, actually committed the crimes for which they were charged.

This came as a former aide to former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, Hon. Okey Okirie, also accused the police of threat to his life and called on President Muhammadu Buhari and others to intervene to allow him enjoy his freedom in the country.

In the eye of the storm is the Eagle Crack (E-Crack) Team of the Police domiciled at the Mile 1 (Rumuwoji) Police Station, Diobu, Port Harcourt

Ikwunado and four of his apprentices were said to be arrested by men of the E-Crack Unit, attached to the Mile 1 Police Division, while test-driving two cars they were repairing along Olu-Obasanjo Road and were charged by the police for robbery and cultism.

The auto mechanic allegedly later died as a result of severe torture while his four apprentices; Victor Ogbonna, Osaze Friday, Ifeanyi OsujI and Ifeanyi Onyekwere, were charged to Court and are currently remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

But addressing journalists at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Port Harcourt yesterday Mr. Chinedu Samuel Ezenwarili, owner of one of the cars which late Port Harcourt-auto-technician, Ikwunado and four others were arrested for snatching, has denied reporting a case of stolen vehicle to the Rivers State Police Command.

Ezenwarili said he gave his vehicle, a Toyota Camry saloon car, to the late Chima for repairs before he was arrested and charged for stealing same car.

He said: "On December 19, 2019, I gave my Toyota Camry with registration number JRV 29 SX to one Mr. Chima Ikwunado to fix my camber bushing and radiator coat. Chima was my mechanic and I have known him for more than two years.

"On December 20, 2019, I called his telephone line as prearranged but all my attempts to reach the said Chima Ikwunado via telephone proved abortive as his telephone kept ringing but he did not pick his calls. I got worried as to what must have happened because he was my trusted mechanic.

"The following day, I called Mr. China's neighbour who told me that Chima was arrested by the Eagle Crack police team from Mile One Police Station for driving against traffic and he was being detained there."

Ezenwarili, who was accompanied by his legal team, wondered why the Police released his vehicle to him and still kept late Ikwunado and others in detention until he died 10 days later.

He said he decided to speak to the Press in order to dissociate himself from the murder of an innocent man, saying he never reported any matter to the E-Crack police team.

Ezenwarili said: "I want the whole world to hear my story so that nobody will associate me with the blood of an innocent man. Chima never snatched my car and he never lodged any complaint in any police station."

In a related development, Hon. Okey Okirie, former Special Adviser on Strategy and Statistics to former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has lamented threats to his life by operatives of the same E-Crack Unit operating from Mile !Diobu Police station in Port Harcourt.

Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, Okirie said following the alleged threats and attacks by the policemen allegedly led by their Commander, Mr Benson Adetunyi, he and his family now live like fugitives in the state.

He narrated that one of his business partners, one Nwabueze Emeghara, allegedly filed a fraudulent case against him at the E-Crack command to force him to release money meant for public project for his alleged embezzlement, adding that when he refused to release the money which would amount to fraud, they (E-Crack and Emeghara) all started harassing him and his family.

He said the money was for contract awarded his company for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) road construction project in Edo state and that when he realised on getting to the site that the money he was releasing to Emeghara was not properly used for the execution of the projects, he stopped and decided to carry on the construction of the project himself which did not pleased his partner (Emeghara), hence he allegedly decided to use the E-Crack police team to force him release all the money in their company's joint bank account.  

Okirie, who was in tears, said his family had been separated just for their safety, adding that even when the matter is pending before the state High Court in Port Harcourt, the E-Crack police team continues to harass and threaten anyone who seem to be relating with him.