Family pleads for return of protester’s body as search enters one year

A year has passed since 27-year-old Onyekachi Ugiri from Anambra State was tragically killed during a protest against the attempted impeachment of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

On October 31, 2023, Onyekachi lost his life after being struck by a stray bullet to the head as tensions escalated during the protest.

Since then, his mother, Callister Ugiri, has been searching tirelessly for his remains, visiting numerous hospitals and mortuaries with no success.

The family’s only confirmation of his death is a video they possess showing Onyekachi’s lifeless body.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Callister made an emotional appeal to Governor Fubara, pleading, “I need my child’s body so we can take him to the village for a proper burial.”

Callister acknowledged that representatives of the governor had previously extended their sympathies, but she highlighted the family’s ongoing hardships.

“Onyekachi was our breadwinner, providing food and paying rent. Now, I am left to care for our four children alone, as my husband is hospitalised in the village,” she lamented. “Governor, please help me; things have been difficult for us since Onyekachi’s passing.”

Onyekachi’s death occurred on October 31, 2023, the same day over 100 youths gathered at the Government House entrance in Port Harcourt to protest the alleged impeachment attempt against Governor Fubara.

The demonstrators were later arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).

At the time, Mrs Ugiri told reporters that she learned of her son’s death through a video of his lifeless body, which the family discreetly obtained. Journalists also cited the video in their reports.

However, the Commissioner of Police at the time, CP Emeka Polycarp Nwonyi, denied allegations that Onyekachi or any other protester had been killed by police gunfire.

During a press briefing two days after the incident, he stated that police had not encountered any deceased bodies, including that of Onyekachi Ugiri.