The Anambra State Police Command on Monday, announced the launch of an investigation to ascertain the true cause of the death of a 17-year-old apprentice, one Chikamso Ejiofor, who was reportedly found lifeless in a compound at Umuzocha village, Awka.
A statement by the command’s spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikoye Orutugu gave the directive for the investigation to be conducted discreetly.
The death of the teenager had generated serious concerns when his sister, with the Facebook name ‘Nasa Love’ posted of his demise.
The sister had accused some fellow apprentices, along with his brother, at the popular Eke-Awka market, of plotting the murder of his brother, because he was exposing their criminal activities.
“For a lot of people asking what killed my brother, he was shot dead.
“He was serving one lady at Eke Awka market, where they sell fowl and other things. There were a lot of small boys there too, who swindled their principals of their money after the sales. My brother started exposing them, which made the woman love him more than the other boys, to the extent that the woman gave him an Android phone.
“There was a day the woman’s N30,000 was missing and my brother helped her identify who took it, and the woman eventually found out it was true.
“All the while, my brother never told us that those boys were warning him, telling him to stop coming to the shop. That was how he went to the market that very Saturday, and after making sales, he begged his madam to give him a candle, so he could pray that night.
That same Saturday, those boys confronted him at that very shop in the morning. After sales that day, he was coming back around 8-9 pm, when those boys followed him home, and that was how he lost his life. Those boys are still on the run,” she reported.
However, in a statement on Monday, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Ikenga revealed that the family of the deceased had opted to withdraw from the case, as they are aware that the deceased had some unruly behaviour.
His statement read; “Preliminary information reveals that on 5th October, 2025, at about 10.55 am, the Command received a report from a complainant that upon returning from a church vigil on the same day she discovered the motionless body of an unidentified young man in her compound.
“Following the report, Police operatives attached to the Central Police Station, Awka promptly visited the scene, took photographs, and conveyed the victim to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead by a Medical Doctor.
“Further investigation led to the identification of the deceased as Chikamso Ejiofor, aged 17 years, an apprentice. The parents of the deceased were subsequently traced and informed of the incident, but they voluntarily expressed their decision not to pursue the Case further, citing their awareness of the deceased’s alleged unruly behavior. They have since sworn an affidavit and submitted a formal withdrawal letter to that effect.”
Ikenga said, however, the state Commissioner of Police, while acknowledging the family’s position, reiterated that the Command has a statutory responsibility to investigate all unnatural deaths to ensure that justice and transparency are served.
Meanwhile, the deceased was buried on Sunday, amidst tears and agony, in his father’s compound in Umuzocha Awka.
