Murder of student: Police threaten star witnesses over new statement—Family

…As 2 pathologists insist death caused by carbon monoxide, not cocaine poisoning

By Kingsley Omonobi, Gabriel Ewepu, Abuja

The family members of the late Joy Odama, the 200-level mass communication student allegedly murdered in the house of one Alhaji Usman Adamu, have cried out over what they described as an  alleged attempt to pervert justice by threatening the star witnesses in the murder investigation to write a new statement changing their earlier position on the matter.

The family made the allegation even as investigation into the cause of the death of the student of Cross Rivers State University took a new twist when two of the principal pathologists, who conducted a fresh autopsy into the cause of death, insisted that Joy did not die of cocaine poisoning but from carbon monoxide.

A statement by Augustine Okechukwu, President, Basic Rights Enlightenment Foundation (BREF) said, “The police in her characteristic manner has covertly deployed another twist to pervert the cause of justice and a coercive deception in the mysterious death of the late Joy Odama.

“In a seeming bid to forestall the obvious truth surrounding this gruesome murder, the police high command has threatened the star witnesses, Martha Hassan and father, Victoria Ezekiel and father, plus Elizabeth, with arrest and subsequent detention if they fail to appear at Force Headquarters, Abuja, to give a fresh statement.

“When the threats from the Investigation Police Officer (IPO), Force Monitoring Unit, became unbearable and unwholesome, Victoria and her father, Mr. Ezekiel, had to succumb to the pressure and reported at Force Headquarters where Victoria was detained for over eight hours because she refused to either alter her statement or write a fresh one.

“The police kept threatening her  until she was made to sign a doctored statement from the police before bail was granted late in the night on Wednesday 21st June, 2017.

“It is noteworthy here that Victoria and her father were not even allowed to go through the statement before appending her signature.

“The Nigeria Police having failed in their futile attempts at the National Hospital to alter the re-conducted autopsy result is again engaging in all manner of clandestine tactics and outright manoeuvring to divert attention to kill the truth in this case.

“We are calling on the Federal Government, Cross River State Government, National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association, Federation of International Women Lawyers, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Civil Societies, Human Rights Activists, Religious Bodies, Clergies, Public Spirited Individuals and the world at large to please monitor the exercise”.

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