The Delta State Police Command has taken the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, and three other suspects into custody over the death of a Deputy Director in the ministry, Mr Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.
The latest arrests bring to five the number of people currently in police custody as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death in Asaba.
The command disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday night by its Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, saying the arrests formed part of an ongoing investigation into the case.
The police also announced a manhunt for two other individuals identified as Mrs Clementine Ufuoma, Director of Basic and Secondary Education, and Clement Apia, the driver to the Commissioner for Secondary Education.
According to the command, the two individuals are required by investigators in furtherance of the ongoing inquiry and have been urged to make themselves available to the police without further delay.
Adeda, who served as a Deputy Director in the Delta State Ministry of Secondary Education, died after being taken to hospital following an incident at the ministry’s Examination and Standards Department.
His death has generated conflicting accounts, with ministry workers, relatives and members of the public calling for authorities to establish exactly what happened before he was hospitalised and subsequently died.
Earlier reports indicated that organised labour shut the Delta State Secretariat in Asaba following the death, demanding a thorough investigation and assurances concerning the safety of civil servants at their workplaces.
The Nigeria Labour Congress in the state said workers were concerned about the circumstances surrounding the incident and insisted that the matter should be properly investigated before normal activities resumed.
Some sources within the ministry alleged that Adeda had driven to the Examination and Standards Department and damaged vehicles and property during an incident shortly before his death, although these accounts remain part of the matters being examined by investigators.
The same sources referred to alleged video footage from the department, saying it could help investigators establish the sequence of events, while also calling for relevant medical evidence to be considered.
Commissioner Ashibogwu has previously denied allegations that he ordered anyone to assault Adeda and urged the public to allow investigators to establish the facts.
The commissioner said he had responded to distress calls concerning Adeda and alleged that the deceased became violent during their encounter, including allegedly attacking him.
The conflicting accounts have increased pressure on the police and other authorities to determine whether the confrontation at the ministry was connected to Adeda’s subsequent death.
The Guardian had also reported that some members of Adeda’s family rejected a proposed government condolence visit and expressed reservations about an administrative panel established to examine the circumstances surrounding his death.
A brother of the deceased, Lloyd Sodje Adeda, questioned the composition of the administrative panel and called for the involvement of the family, civil society organisations and human rights representatives.
Other members of the family, however, received a government delegation and appealed to the authorities to ensure that the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death were fully investigated and justice served.
The state government has maintained that it would not conceal the outcome of any investigation and that appropriate action would follow if wrongdoing was established.
With Ashibogwu now in police custody, the latest development marks a significant step in the criminal investigation, although being taken into custody does not by itself establish guilt.
The police have stressed that the investigation will be conducted thoroughly, impartially and professionally, with Commissioner of Police Samuel Erale assuring the deceased’s family and the public that due process would be followed.
The command said anyone found culpable after the investigation would face justice in accordance with the law.
The police are also expected to establish the roles, if any, of the other people connected to the incident and determine the medical and factual circumstances that preceded Adeda’s death.
As the investigation continues, attention remains focused on the police, the state government and other relevant authorities to provide a clear account of what happened at the Ministry of Secondary Education.
For now, the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death remain under investigation, while the police continue efforts to locate the two additional individuals they say are required for questioning.