An Enugu-based legal practitioner, Barr. C.C. Agu has written the Inspector-General of Police over the ongoing probe into the gruesome murder of the former Chief Nurse, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Mrs. Maria Amadi.
In the letter, dated August 27, 2019, which was made available to journalists, the lawyer said the actions taken by the IGP so far towards getting to the root of the matter was highly commendable.
His letter is coming few days after a suspected member of a group allegedly behind the murder, made some confessions in a video. Another member of the said gang had earlier also confessed to the killing. But the police have remained silent on the the two video recordings.
In this latest, video, the suspect, who identified himself as Chidiebere, aka Nwobi, gave a graphic details of how the crime was planned and executed.
In the 15-minute video clip, he is believed to be interviewed by some members of security agencies. He detailed how they took off from Abakpa and trailed the deceased to Federal Housing Trans-Ekulu.
He identified other members of the gang as Pharaoh and Smiling George, claiming that “Smiling George said there is a woman that is rich, that we have to go and collect her money.
“So, we went to Federal Housing, Close to NOWAS at Trans-Ekulu; they were telling the woman to bring the money with her; Smiling George was the one that shot the woman. Smiling George took the woman’s phone.”
When probed further, he said, “I don’t know that she works at ‘Psychia’. Nobody sent us, we just went because Smiling said she has money. After she was shot, they collected something from her, but I don’t know exactly.”
Meanwhile, Agu in his letter to the Police Chief commended the police “for unbiased resolute stance on the issue oblivious of selfish interests in the case.”
He added that the incident “have trouble-shooted and brought to the fore, the executive, police, judiciary and even the hospital staff arm twisting consequent upon individual or group deliberate and nefarious intent of actualizing their selfish interest of sacrificing innocent ones in the altar of spurious allegation.”
He lamented that since the incident, the Principal and the Vice Principal of the School of Nursing, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, and one of the staff have been in Enugu prison over the contrived, sponsored and deliberate falsehood of some factions of the staff of the Hospital hell bent to muscle all the contacts they have to permanently put the trio out of circulation.
“Even the nurses and the doctor on duty at the emergency unit of the Parklane Hospital, who treated Mrs. Amadi before her demise, in their separate statements to the police denied that the deceased made any statement that she was killed by the incarcerated three staff.
“One wonders why Mr. Marcel Amadi, (a money lender) the husband of the deceased, who categorically informed the police that he was not at the scene of the incident, should allow himself to be railroaded to twist evidence in order to effortlessly do the bidding of a particular group, hellbent to stultify the freedom of the innocent ones.
“It is the law that suspicion, no matter how grave and strong, can never ground conviction. There is no prima facie evidence that linked the three staff to the crime and their continued detention is no doubt conceived to relieve them off their needed positions in the said hospital and at the same time inflict them with an indelible criminal stigma and frustrate their reinstatement.”
He further urged the IGP that now that some of the suspected killers of the deceased had been arrested, and had made confessional statements, “you should hold on to this high esteemed professional integrity by ensuring their firm custody under your watch as the prying eyes of the hijackers of justice are prowling to do everything within their disposal to frustrate your hard earned integrity with regards to the case.
“We cleave your indulgence Sir, to lend your voice to our clamour that these three innocent victims regain their freedom.”
