The father of CDT Emmanuel Chidiebere Onyemereneche, a cadet officer who is believed to have drowned in an Umuahia hotel pool, is Ephraim Onyemereneche. He has accused the relevant agencies of engaging in a “conspiracy of silence” about his son’s death.
Nearing graduation from the National Defence Academy, Emmanuel was reported missing from the hotel’s pool surface on April 4, 2024. Subsequently, the state fire service found his body, and the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia verified his death.
Ephraim has stated that the autopsy results, which were conducted on June 29, 2024, were in conflict with the initial report on the drowning. He said that a planned cover-up had thwarted attempts to look into the problem and expressed dissatisfaction over the police, Nigerian Army, and Navy’s lack of response and transparency.
Ephraim explained that a large number of witnesses, including doctors, police officials, and Army men, were involved in the autopsy. He feels that the results have been repressed or disregarded by the government, notwithstanding the transparent process.
He chastised the response of multiple agencies, such as the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) for not pursuing his son’s case and the police for allegedly failing to pursue vital leads, like interviewing the deceased’s friend Valentine Obeji.
Ephraim has contacted a number of authorities, such as the Force Headquarters and the Chief of Army Staff, but he has not heard back from them. He added that there hasn’t been any tangible action or inquiry as a result of neighborhood protests and petitions.
The father is demanding accountability from all those involved and a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s murder.
