Family of murdered teenager wants case transferred from Edo Police Homicide Dept

The family of seventeen years old Miss Jessica Aniche, who was allegedly raped and killed for ritual purposes in Edo State has petitioned the Commissioner of Police, requesting that the matter be withdrawn from the Command’s Homicide Department.

Aniche’s family, in the alternative, suggested that a different and neutral department of the Edo State Police Command be asked to investigate the case afresh.

This was as the Homicide Department dismissed the fear of compromise as unfounded, stressing that the delay of the autopsy report was the only encumbrance to the conclusion of an investigation into the matter.

Mrs Paula Aniche and Mrs Linda Nwosu who are family members of the late Miss Aniche had through their lawyer, Douglas Ogbankwa alleged that suspects in the investigations had been set free men despite the avalanche of evidence pointing to their culpability.

In a letter dated June 15th 2022, and endorsed to the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, the family alleged that “Miss Jessica Anicha, a 17 years old girl, was abducted against her will and murdered by one Nusa Abu, Rasheed, Deborah, Joy, around their house at the MTN MAST Road 5, Nosa Edugie Street, Benin City, obviously for ritual purpose.

The petition reads in parts: “To accentuate this fact, Nusa Abu is suspected to be an internet fraudster and he and the others mentioned above took the corpse of the deceased to the mortuary without contacting her family.

“That Nusa Abu and others have been giving incredible stories of how she died that do not add up.

“That our clients are not comfortable with the investigation of the Homicide Section and the IPO who has refused to arrest some of the culprits and follow some leads that will crack the murder of the innocent and promising girl.

“We wish to humbly urge you Sir to transfer this matter to another unit, in order to do justice in this matter and bring the culprits to book,” the family pleaded.

But when contacted, a senior officer in the Homicide Department, who pleaded anonymity, said what was delaying the process “is an autopsy report that is needed to confirm the cause of death”.

“The main suspect, Nusa, was in detention for a month and we have to charge him to court so as we speak he is in Oko Prison. There is nothing to hide there, it is when the autopsy is conducted that the result will guide the investigation, and we cannot just arrest people without evidence,” the police source reiterated.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE