Benue Native Tortured to Death in Police Custody: Family Seeks Justice in Anambra

 

Security Guard Dies in Police Custody: Family Demands Accountability for Torture and Cover-Up

The family of Lubem Ordoo Ayagwa, a 45-year-old father of four from Benue State, is demanding justice after he died under suspicious circumstances while in the custody of the Anambra State Police Command. Allegedly tortured to death by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Awkuzu, Ayagwa's case is fast becoming another grim mark on the record of a police unit notorious for its brutal methods.

Ayagwa was employed by Red Guard Security Company and stationed at a plaza opposite the Building Materials Market, along the Onitsha-Awka Expressway. On March 24, he was arrested along with two fellow guards by officers from Ogidi Police Division following a report from Nolin Ventures Ltd., a store operating at the plaza, which claimed it had lost goods valued at ₦17.5 million to theft.

Rather than first engaging the plaza management or the security firm for clarification, the shop owner allegedly took matters into his own hands, enlisting the Ogidi police to arrest the three guards and, eventually, the plaza's shop manager. Despite requests by Red Guard Security Company to internally investigate the matter, police proceeded to transfer the suspects to the Awkuzu base of the RRS — a move that would tragically prove fatal for Ayagwa.

Once the suspects arrived at Awkuzu, their employers and families were denied access. All lines of communication were severed, raising alarm over their safety and welfare. According to a petition submitted by Francis, a human rights activist and radio presenter representing the Ayagwa family, this blackout enabled the unchecked torture of the detainees.

By the time arrangements were being made to transfer the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka, Ayagwa had mysteriously disappeared from the list. It wasn’t until later that RRS officers casually informed the security company that Ayagwa had died in custody—allegedly due to injuries inflicted by fellow inmates. However, this claim has been firmly rebutted by the two other guards, who survived the ordeal and confirmed that the torture was perpetrated by police operatives, not cellmates.

Ayagwa’s body was eventually located at Nnewi Teaching Hospital, after being reportedly rejected by the Onitsha General Hospital. Observers suspect the initial rejection was due to the severity of injuries or possibly suspicious circumstances surrounding the cause of death.

Questions have also been raised about the premature release of the shop manager — a key figure who arguably should have been under closer scrutiny. The move has fueled allegations of bias, compromise, and a deliberate attempt to scapegoat the security guards.

The family, through a formal petition addressed to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, is demanding an exhaustive and impartial investigation into the arrest, torture, and eventual death of Ayagwa. Among the nine-point list of demands are the immediate suspension and prosecution of all officers involved, an independent autopsy and public access to hospital and surveillance records, and the arrest of the shop owner suspected of orchestrating the arrest.

“A public apology and financial compensation are not just gestures — they are a recognition of the state’s responsibility in this tragic and wholly avoidable loss,” the petition reads. It also calls for a clear assurance from the police leadership that such egregious abuses will no longer be tolerated.

The RRS unit at Awkuzu has a reputation for controversial conduct. Earlier this year, investigative reports revealed the mysterious detention and disappearance of another Anambra resident, Chibueze Isizoh, whose family has continued to search for him months after his arrest.

As pressure mounts on the Anambra Police Command, neither the police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, nor representatives of Nolin Ventures Ltd. have provided any substantive response. The lawyer representing the company, Jude Onyejegbu, also failed to respond to multiple calls and messages.

Meanwhile, the Ayagwa family continues to grieve — not only for the loss of a loved one but for a system that denied him the basic right to life, dignity, and justice.