Apprentice Death: CP Overrules Parents, Insists On Investigation

The commissioner of police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, has dismissed the opposition from the parents of a 17-year -old apprentice who reportedly died under controversial circumstances.

He  insisted that full investigation must be conducted to establish the actual cause of his death.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the motionless body of the apprentice, Chikamso Ejiofor, was found at night on October 5, 2025, in a compound in Umuzocha village, Awka, the Anambra State capital city.

It was gathered that a resident of the compound had returned from a Church vigil that night and stumbled into the motionless body of the apprentice, and, swiftly reported the incident to the Central Police Station (CPS), Awka.

A team of personnel from the police station had rushed to the scene, and, after taking pictures of the scene took the body of the apprentice to a hospital where a medical doctor was said to have confirmed him dead.

The public relations officer of the state police command (PPRO), superintendent of police, SP Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement yesterday, however, said that the parents of the deceased curiously have applied to the command that they do not want the matter investigated.

He said that the parents said that they were aware that their son was a stubborn person.

Ikenga said, “The parents of the deceased were subsequently traced and informed of the incident, but they voluntarily expressed their decision not to pursue the case further, citing their awareness of the deceased’s alleged unruly behaviour.

They(parents of the deceased) have since sworn an affidavit and submitted a formal withdrawal letter to that effect”, the police image-maker said further.

He, however, said that  CP Orutugu “while acknowledging the family’s position, reiterated that the command has a statutory responsibility to investigate all unnatural deaths to ensure that justice and transparency are served”.

Ikenga said that  CP Orutugu has therefore directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka to continue a thorough review of the incident to determine the actual cause of death.