Mother of pro-Fubara protester killed by stray bullet demands justice

The mother of a 27-year-old man, Onyekachi Ugiri, who died after being hit by a stray bullet during Tuesday’s protest against the planned impeachment of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has cried out to the governor for help.

Mrs Callister Ugiri, a resident of Borokiri, old Port Harcourt township also called on the police to produce the corpse of her son.

Speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Friday, Mrs. Ugiri said she had been looking for her son since he and one of her friends left to join the protest in the wake of the State Assembly crisis but had not seen him.

She disclosed that she confirmed his death after identifying his lifeless corpse from a video she saw.

She stated, “On Tuesday, I heard that our neighbour, Chiwedu, came to the house to take my son to go for protest in support of the governor.

“In the night, I waited but did not see my son. So I asked my daughter about her brother, She told me that our neighbour, Chiwendu, took her brother to protest in support of the governor.

“On Wednesday, Chiwendu came back and told my daughter that he took my son to protest in support of the governor, and as the police were shooting, a bullet caught my son, Oyekachi on the head.

“Then my son ran and entered one building where he died, Chiwendu ran away while others were arrested.”

Continuing, the distraught mother said, “I went to the old GRA Police Station to look for his body. They said I should go to the control room at the headquarters. I also went to the Control room at headquarters, and from there to State CID they said he is not there.

“I also went to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital. There I saw two persons with bullet wounds, but I did not see my son.

“I went to the police clinic where they said somebody with a bullet wound was, I did not see him there.”

“Today morning (Friday), I saw a video of my son’s dead body with blood all over. I am begging the police to provide the corpse of my son wherever it is and also calling on the governor to come to my aid,”

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive as her mobile was not connecting.

She had yet to reply to a text message sent by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report on Friday afternoon.