Delta Education Director Arrested as Community Gives Govt 7 Days Over Death

The Delta State Police Command has arrested the Director of Exams and Standards in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Mrs Clementina Ojumah, over the death of Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr Unity Ekwevugbe Adeda.

Ojumah’s arrest has raised the number of people currently in police custody in connection with the case to six, as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.

The latest development came on the same day Adeda’s home community, Otovwodo in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, took to the streets to protest the death and demand government action.

The protesters shut down parts of the community, restricting movement and affecting commercial activities during the demonstration.

They also issued the Delta State Government a seven-day ultimatum to take action over the death of their son.

The police confirmed that Ojumah reported herself to the command headquarters on Tuesday.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said: “She reported herself Tuesday.”

Her arrest followed earlier developments in the investigation, which had already seen the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, and other persons taken into custody.

The police had initially arrested one suspect after receiving allegations that Adeda was assaulted during an incident at the commissioner’s office in Asaba.

The command later expanded the investigation and took Ashibogwu and three other suspects into custody, while two officials were declared wanted for questioning.

The two officials earlier sought by the police included the Director of Basic and Secondary Education and the commissioner’s driver. The command said their presence was required to assist the investigation.

The police have maintained that the investigation is intended to establish exactly what happened to Adeda and determine whether anyone should be held responsible for his death.

The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Samuel Erale, also directed that the matter be handled thoroughly and in accordance with due process.

The case has generated tension within the state, particularly among workers in the Ministry of Secondary Education and members of Adeda’s community.

The circumstances surrounding the death have also produced conflicting accounts.

Ashibogwu has denied ordering anyone to assault Adeda. The commissioner said he became involved after receiving reports that the deputy director had allegedly become violent and was threatening people around the office.

The commissioner said: “When I encountered him, I asked whether he knew me, but he said he did not want to know me and threatened to attack anyone who came near him.”

Police investigations are expected to examine the different accounts, alongside available evidence, including eyewitness statements, video footage and medical records.

At Otovwodo, residents marched through the community with placards demanding justice for Adeda.

Some of the inscriptions read: “Justice for Adeda”; “We are peaceful people, all we want is justice”; “Justice 4 unlawful killing of Adeda”, and “A killer cannot be a Commissioner.”

The President General of the community, Prince Elvis Oharisi, said the community was angry over the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death and wanted those responsible to face the law.

Oharisi said: “The family of Adeda came reporting to us the incident that occurred on Thursday last week.

“As I’m aware, our son, Unity Adeda, an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Education, was murdered. They murdered our son.

“The community is grieved, and the community is calling for justice. We are telling the government of Sheriff Oborevwori, our governor, to bring our son alive to us in the community. We are giving them seven days to bring back our son to us. You cannot treat a human being the way he was treated.

“Those that have been apprehended, the commissioner, the director, and whoever has been apprehended, should not be released at all. If any one of them is released, we will not take it lightly. Justice should be served properly on this issue.”

The community also rejected the administrative panel of inquiry set up by the state government.

According to Oharisi, the community and the deceased’s family were not represented on the panel, making it difficult for residents to trust its work.

He said: “The committee set up by the government, we are not satisfied with it, because the community was not represented in that committee, the family was never represented in that committee.

“So, that committee, we have no iota of trust in that committee.”

The community leader also called for immediate administrative action against officials linked to the case while the investigation continues.

He said: “The governor should, as a matter of urgency, relieve the commissioner, the director of their duties as it was served to Izeze before justice can be actually obtained.”

The state government’s administrative panel had commenced its work as the police investigation continued.

The panel is expected to look into the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the deceased’s family has also been seeking an autopsy as part of efforts to establish the cause of death.

Moreover, the protest also attracted young people in the community, with the youth leadership insisting that the matter must not be allowed to fade away without accountability.

The Youth Leader, Umudi Ohwofasa, said the community was prepared to continue pressing for answers.

He said: “It’s very painful for such a thing to happen to someone. So, we want the government to fish out the people that did this thing. They should bring them out.

“We need peace, if there’s no peace, there will be a war over this issue. So, we are appealing to the state government, Oborevwori, our governor.”

Ohwofasa said the community had not received enough assurances to end the protest.

He added: “We will continue the protest. I cannot be satisfied in the sense that we have not heard anything that will make us satisfied over this issue.”

The deceased’s family has also continued to demand justice and the prosecution of anyone found to have played a role in his death.