Mr Emmanuel Adimachukwu, an indigene of Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, yesterday, narrated a chilling story of how the operatives of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) murdered his son, Obinna.
Emma, a school proprietor, told the Anambra State Judicial Panel of Inquiry sitting in Awka, the state capital, that his son, an international businessman, was killed by the SARS operatives and still collected N400,000 from him for his feeding.
This is even as another petitioner, Mr Obiora Akabuike, told the panel that his younger brother, Ekene Augustine Akabuike, a final year student of Statistics at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka was killed by the SARS operatives for no offence.
Adimachukwu said his son, Obinna, had returned to Onitsha on the fateful day having gone to Nnewi to collect his money, $10,000 USD, from his debtor before SARS operatives swooped on him.
He said that his son was a businessman who imported clothes from India and sold them in Onitsha. He said that he was killed in 2014.
He narrated thus: “I am happy that a situation like this arose for me to talk about what happened to my son because I was intimidated and never knew I could ever get anyone to listen to me about what happened to my son.
“He graduated at Nnamdi Azikiwe University and served at National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA). Because he read Business Administration, I opened a shop for him at Mount Olive Shopping Plaza, Onitsha.
“He travels to India to buy clothing. On March 14 2014, he went to Nnewi and collected $10, 000 USD owed him by a friend and proceeded to Onitsha to take delivery of his goods that just arrived. He got to the park and was told the bus conveying the goods was yet to arrive, so he waited.
“It was while they were waiting that some SARS men arrived and started shooting and people ran away but he did not run. They arrested him and his friend. As they were taking them to their office, they searched him and saw $10,000USD with him and concluded he was an armed robber.
“My son refused to let them take the money, he fought them. So, when they got to Awkuzu SARS, they told him they will send him to a place where he will fight since he knows how to fight. So, they killed him.
“When I went to see him after his friend who was smuggled out told me of it, James Nwafor told his men to lock me up that I was a father to an armed robber.
“Some prominent people intervened and they released me. They later told me to drop money so they could be feeding my son, and they collected N400,000 from me, knowing full well that they had killed my son.”
Adimachukwu narrated that the then SARS boss, James Nwafor, later reached out to him about two years after, telling him to conduct burial for his son that he had been killed.
On his part, Akabuike told the panel that his younger who was the last child of their family was killed in 2004. He said that their mother died out of trauma as the deceased was close to her.
“On June 3rd, 2004, they picked my brother in his room and we were told they would arraign him in court the next day, but they killed him and told us that he had been wasted.”
Meanwhile, the matter was adjourned to Tuesday next week for further hearing.
