The relations of one Thaddeus Ikechukwu Ojokoh of Umugwa Umuokirika, Ahiazu Mbaise, has sent an SOS message to members of the public “to intervene before a great, irreversible injustice is visited on an innocent citizen”.
According to Ikechukwu Amaechi, his cousin, who signed an SOS statement, he stated that Ojokoh, 53 years old, is a professional tailor and married with five children.
According to him: “In the last two decades, he has been practising his trade at Afor Oru, where he has a shop.
“On April 15, which was an Afor Oru market day, he was at his shop as usual and later in the day went into the market to buy some tailoring materials.
“Armed men, who turned out to be personnel of the Nigeria Police Force swooped on him and whisked him away, on the allegation that he is an IPOB member.
“He has been in police custody at the “Tiger Base” ever since.
“Then, on April 21, six days after his arrest, hoodlums attacked policemen on patrol at Ngor-Okpala and killed four of them.
“On April 30, Imo State Police Command, issued a statement that the man they arrested earlier was one of those who unconscionably murdered the policemen on national duty”.
Publishing the verbatim statement by the Police, which listed the said Mr. Ojokoh as being among the arrested members of IPOB who allegedly confessed to killing the policemen.
Amaechi wondered how somebody who is under police detention could turn around to become a co-consporator as claimed by the police.
“With due respect and every sense of responsibility, I dare say that this cannot be true, at least not in the case of Ikechukwu Ojokoh.
“It is curious that a man arrested on April 15 and who has been in police custody ever since is being accused of killing policemen at Ngor-Okpala on April 21.
“Secondly, the said Ikechukwu Ojokoh was arrested at Afor-Oru market and not at any “terrorist hideout.”
“Besides, even if Thaddeus Ojokoh was arrested after the killing of the policemen, I would still vouch, without any fear of contradiction, that he couldn’t have been part of that dastardly act”.
He noted that the said Ojokoh is incapable of hurting a fly; is innocent,” adding that, “it is equally wrong to frame innocent, poor folks for crimes they never committed”.
He appealed to Nigerians to intervene before an innocent soul is wasted for a crime he didn’t commit.
