A civil society group, the Oodua Integrity Group, has faulted media reports alleging that one Uju Ezeoba died in police custody following a land dispute complaint.
The group described the report, initially published by a media house, as misleading and unsubstantiated.
In a statement released by the group’s head of investigations, Olatunji Olawale, the Oodua Integrity Group maintained that the report’s narrative was not only inaccurate but appeared to be a deliberate attempt to tarnish reputations and derail justice.
According to Olawale, Uju Ezeoba was initially involved in a land-related matter reported to the police by Mrs. Duru, a member of the United Business Women Association.
Ezeoba had allegedly presented herself as a lawyer representing Mrs Duru in the dispute. However, the group claimed that Mrs Duru discovered Ezeoba was not a qualified lawyer, citing signs of incompetence during the case’s handling, and subsequently disengaged her through a formal letter.
The group noted that Ezeoba retained several possessions belonging to Mrs Duru after the disengagement and described the subsequent allegations of her death in custody as suspicious and unfounded.
“We challenge the media house to provide answers to the following questions: In which mortuary is Uju Ezeoba’s body? Why has there been no police confirmation? Why hasn’t they published any photo evidence of her corpse?” Olawale queried.
Calling for an independent investigation by the inspector-general of police, the group dismissed the death claim as a “campaign of calumny” aimed at discrediting Mrs Duru and derailing ongoing legal proceedings.
They urged the public to disregard the report and demanded a retraction, accusing the platform of ethical lapses and publishing what they called a “half-baked report.”
