The family of the late Air Force cadet officer, Emmanuel Chidiebere Onyeomereneche, who died under disputed circumstances at Hotel Royal Damgrate in Umuahia, Abia State on April 9, 2024, has raised concerns that efforts to get the authorities to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice have failed.

Newsmen reported on September 10 that the result of the autopsy carried out on Chidiebere did not attribute his death to drowning.
The autopsy result stated that the late Cadet officer died as a result of “intracranial haematoma” and “skull fracture at occipital and right parietal region”, suggesting that he was hit with a hard object.

This contradicts initial assumptions and speculations surrounding the circumstances of his passing.

After his death, the police in Abia State blamed it to drowning but also insisted that investigation and autopsy result would reveal the actual cause of his death.

Speaking with Newsmen on Monday, the family expressed worry that efforts to get the authorities to listen to their demands to arrest the alleged perpetrators had failed.

According to the family, this is despite the autopsy result showing the deceased did not die by drowning.

Father of the deceased officer, Ephraim Onyeomereneche, also questioned why the manager of the Hotel Royal Damgrate was killed by soldiers shortly after Chidiebere’s death.

He said, “At least, you have the autopsy result, you have given me a copy. What can we do? At that level, the police said the Nigerian Defence Academy has been informed in writing to produce Valentine Obeji who was with them and NDA has not responded. That without Valentine that they are doing nothing.

“The autopsy result has confirmed that he didn’t drown, he was murdered. So who murdered him and why? What happens to the hotel where he was murdered? What happens to the other people who took part in the murder? Are there no police investigation to unravel how he was murdered?”

When Newsmen reached out to the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, he asked our correspondent to write a letter formerly requesting to ascertain the level of police investigation in the matter.

Mr Onwuemelie, simply said in a text message: “Please investigation reports are not done by ‘telling’, if you want to know the status of the investigation, submit a formal written request. This will be my last response to you via text message.”

When Newsmen reached out to Chidiebere’s NDA Dalet Battalion, Commander, Wing CDR, Gidado Idris, he said the institution had little or nothing to do in the matter as the incident happened outside the school.

“I don’t know how NDA will come into this matter. It was during the break that this thing happened, let’s assume he was in Nsukka or any private university, will the institution be held responsible when their student was outside?

“About his belongings we are guarding it,” he said.

The Director of Admin, NDA, Cdre Ndanusa, told Newsmen that the NDA Commandant was not yet officially briefed on the cause of Chidiebere’s death even though they were aware the autopsy result was out.

“I am expecting that NDA medical director will send official memo to the Commandant on the cause of his death. NDA paid for the autopsy and other things. We are not backing down because there’s reason for the autopsy in the first place,” he said.