Father of dead cadet officer alleges conspiracy as autopsy reveals no drowning

Following the release of the autopsy on his son, who allegedly died in a swimming pool in Umuahia, the father of the victim, Ephraim Onyemereneche is alleging what he called a “conspiracy of silence” on the part of all agencies involved in the investigation of the death of his cadet officer son.

Recall that on the 4th of April, 2024, a NAF Tarmac Four cadet, CDT Emmanuel Chidiebere Onyemereneche, allegedly drowned in the swimming pool in a popular hotel in Umuahia.

The victim, who was said to have a few months to graduate from the National Defence Academy, had come to the hotel facility with friends when he decided to swim at the facility’s swimming pool when the incident allegedly happened.

The victim was said to have allegedly disappeared from the pool surface at about 6:37 pm on Tuesday, while men from the state fire service later found his lifeless body and confirmed him to be dead at the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

The police, the Nigerian Army, and the Navy formation in the state later stated their awareness of the incident.

However, following the release of the autopsy on the victim, the father, who addressed newsmen in Umuahia on alleged that his son was murdered, lamenting that all his efforts to get all security agencies involved in the matter to investigate have not been possible, alleging what he called “conspiracy of silence”.

He said, “Chidiebere was a grown person. At the age of 11, he entered NMA Zaria. He came out as a soldier. He worked for one year at the Defence College, Jaji, before gaining admission into NDA.”

Explaining further, he said, “During the autopsy day on the 29th of June 2024 at the Federal Medical Center, it was an open one. Incidentally, close to 40 students of Abia State University, some doctors on housemanship, some anatomists, and everybody was invited. During the autopsy, there were about 14 officially accredited people: three policemen, eight doctors, two people from the hotel, the Army Commanding Officer and Army pathologists were also there to witness.

“It was on the 20th of last month that the police called me that the autopsy was out.”

He averred that after obtaining the autopsy results, “It was now a conspiracy of silence. The NDA never got back, the police said that NDA had been informed in writing to produce Valentine Obeji (Chidiebere’s friend, suspected to know more on the matter), who is with them, and NDA has not responded, stating that without Valentine, that they are doing nothing.

“I now asked them. Valentine alone cannot take down Chidiebere. Chidiebere is bigger, and taller and has been in the military for close to 13 years. What happens to the hotel where he was murdered? What happened to the persons who took part in his murder? Are there no police investigations to unravel how he was murdered? I didn’t get an answer.

“I now said that since what all of us are looking for is justice, we want to ask more questions. Why are Valentine and others being shielded? Why is the hotel shielded? What of other parties that were involved? What happened?

“From the day of the death of Chidiebere, I have written to almost everybody. I wrote to the Chief of Army Staff about investigation into how Chidiebere died, it was received and acknowledged, no response. I wrote to the Force Headquarters, it was received and acknowledged, they would always tell you that they would send a team to look at it, to date, it was a conspiracy of silence.

“My village people held a protest, went to the Government House. They were received by the Chief Security Officer, and he promised they will do something, and the governor will be informed. Up till now, nothing has happened. We went to the state House of Assembly, they received it, but at a point, the petition to them got missing.

“A second one was written, the village wrote on their own, and to date, we are yet to know whether they are even discussing it. From the grapevine, they now said I should die the matter, that is not the type of thing they intend to discuss.”

Onyemeremeche recalled that someone died in Ukwa, and the governor visited and discussed it, as well as the death of some army men in Aba and the governor also visited, adding, “I don’t know what Chidiebere may have done that warranted the conspiracy of silence.

“All we are asking is justice for Chidiebere. All I am asking is that if it was to be someone else’s son or their son, would they have allowed the sleeping dog to lie? So, that is the area I am asking for justice. It could happen to someone else. The autopsy confirmed that he never drowned or poisoned, he was murdered.”

An authenticated copy of the autopsy, signed by a Consultant Pathologist, dated 22nd August 2024, with PM No: 0811/2028, sighted by South-East PUNCH indicated that Chidiebere did not die by drowning.