Some personnel of the Nigerian Army have allegedly brutally killed one of the section managers of Hotel Royal Damgrete, Umuahia, Abia State, where a Nigerian Air Force cadet reportedly drowned in the swimming pool.
The manager identified as Mr Achimugu James Etubi from Kogi State was the head of the food and beverage department of the hotel located on Factory Road.
He was reportedly tortured to death by the soldiers on Friday morning at the military barracks.
It could be recalled that on Friday that the Abia State Police Command confirmed the death of the NAF cadet officer.
The NAF Tarmac Four cadet, simply identified as CDT Chidiebere, had reportedly died on Tuesday in the swimming pool.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Army led by one Major Inuwa who was reportedly investigating the unfortunate incident ordered soldiers including one of the Cadet officers who came with late Chidiebere to the hotel swimming pool to beat four hotel staff that were invited for interrogation to stupor.
In the process, Etubi died, a reliable source who witnessed the incident told Journalists.
According to the source, who didn’t want his name mentioned, the situation that led to his demise started a few days ago when a cadet officer from the Nigerian Air Force Tarmac Four came into the Hotel Royal Damgrete Umuahia to swim and have fun with his friends and drowned while swimming.
“The Nigerian Air Force Tarmac Four cadet was identified as Cadet Chidiebere. The death of the cadet officer drew the attention of the state police and it made them begin investigation.
“In the process of investigating the death of the cadet officer, four persons were taken by the Nigeria Police Force for investigations, Mr. James Etubi inclusive. They were detained for a night and were released on bail. But a few days later, the military officers led by one Maj. Inuwa particularly, was said to have invited four persons including Mr James Etubi for further investigations, and threatened the owner of the hotel Mr. Steve Ihendigbo, to release the workers to the army or have his hotel damaged.
“The owner of the hotel now went against the police’s instructions to release them to the military just to save his hotel from attack,” the source revealed.
The source also noted that “When Mr. Steve was contacted after the killing of the manager he was scared to give full details for fear of the Nigerian military.
“The family, wife, and kids of the deceased are calling on Nigerians and relevant agencies to join voice and forces for justice in this inhuman treatment that led to the loss of life of Mr. Etubi.”
Meanwhile, when Journalists contacted the hotel owner, Mr Steve for clarification he decried the killing of his staff, adding that soldiers had continued threatening to kill everybody in the hotel.
According to him, after the death of the said cadet officer, his staff called to inform him what was going on. “The Cadet officer came with two others. Two were cadet officers and a navy trainer. They came and parked their vehicle. We don’t know what happened because the deceased Cadet officer didn’t swim in the swimming pool. The next thing the other cadet officer started shouting that their college had drowned. We invited the police and fire service to pump out the water in the swimming pool but they didn’t do anything.
“To our greatest surprise, for about four hours he was reportedly inside the water, his stomach did not swell, and water didn’t come out from his mouth or nose.
“So, the policemen took the body took the body to the morgue and took four of my staff to their station. They didn’t come back till the following morning being Wednesday when they released. The police instead of interrogating the two military personnel that came with the deceased officer, were shading them.
“So, when my staff returned some soldiers led by a lady military police came demanding that they (four staff) should come to their office. In the morning Friday, the four staff went there before even 8 am. According to my staff, when they got to the barracks, the lady military police officer ordered soldiers to torture them. One of the cadet officers that was with the late Chidiebere whom we suspect knows what killed his colleague carried a stick with other soldiers and beat brutally. James could not withstand it he collapsed. Seeing what they had done the lady military police officer got a tricycle and told him to take his body back to the hotel.
“Other staff who had. already been badly assaulted were telling them that the man was dying. They chased them out with the tricycle operator they had already paid. Instead of coming to the hotel, they begged the tricycle operator to take him to the hospital”.
