An Abuja-based lawyer, Sunny Anyanwu, has petitioned the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigation Department over the release of four suspects arrested in connection with the murder of one Chijioke Nnaji.

Nnaji, a relative of former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, was killed on December 17, 2014, at Umunnenshi community, Enugu State, over tussle for a parcel of land involving the Umunenshi and Umuewo-ukwu families and Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abubakar.

The lawyer in the petition dated February 10, 2015, alleged that the Enugu State Police Command released Afamefuna Ugwu, Christian Ugwu, Okwudili Ugwu and Dominic Ani, following pressures from a former Inspector-General of Police, Ogbonnaya Onovo and former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji.

He further stated that the police refused to arrest or interrogate other persons of interest in the case, including Monday Eze, Friday Obuna, Chijioke Ugwu, and Diamond Aniagwu.

Anyanwu explained that the murder suspects were arrested on December 29, 2014 after a lot of pressure on Abubakar, after which the Force CID took over the matter for investigation.

“Surprisingly, on February 2, 2015, all the suspects were released and are now interfering with their godfathers in the investigation. We were further briefed that Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, former IG and Prof. Barth Nnaji, former power minister, used their former positions to press on the officers of the Force CID to get all the suspects released from police custody claiming that the incident that led to the murder borders on “Osu caste system,” the petition read in part.

The lawyer queried the release of the suspects by the police without a court order, noting that the suspects “have been boasting about their connections with Onovo and Nnaji and how the two men used their influence to spring them out of detention.”

But when contacted, the former power minister said he knew nothing about the case and dismissed allegation that he was instrumental to the release of the suspects.

“I have been in the United States and I just came back two days ago, I don’t know why anyone should drag my name into this kind of thing; if my name is being dragged into this kind of thing, then I may have to go to court. I am from Umuode (community), I have nothing to do with happenings in other communities,” Nnaji said over the telephone.

The former IG could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to several calls to his telephone and a text message sent to him did not elicit any response.

Anyanwu expressed disgust with the way the case was being handled by the police and criticized Abubakar for defending the murder suspects in an advertorial he sponsored in the newspapers.

He said, “Our clients felt so diminished seeing the killers of their son walking on the streets as free men and those at large threatening to do more. In the interest of justice, let all the suspects, particularly Monday Eze be prosecuted in the court of law.”

When contacted, the Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amarizu, said the case file and the suspects had been transferred to the FCID, adding that the command was no longer handling the case.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said he cannot comment on the release of the suspects, adding that he was not aware that the case has been handed over to the FCID.