Get Guardian on GoogleThe family of late businessman, Solomon Iwerebor, has called for a thorough police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, demanding an autopsy and forensic examination to establish the actual cause of death and determine what happened to his remains.
The family, which expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding his death, also urged the police not to succumb to pressure to release two suspects, including the deceased’s brother, Justin Iwerebor, and his wife, Anthonia, who were arrested on Monday in connection with the alleged murder.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, two sisters of the deceased, Mrs Stella Iwerebor and Mrs Udo Hamis, alongside their lawyer, Dr Charles Mekwunye (SAN), said they were distressed by the manner in which they learnt of their brother’s death and the absence of clear information about the events leading to it.
They said Solomon, who lived in Germany with his wife and children, had travelled to Nigeria to visit Justin and his wife but had not been seen by other members of the family for more than two years.
According to them, the family was shocked to receive information about his death through third parties on September 6, several days after he reportedly died.
They said nobody had informed them that Solomon was ill before his death, while subsequent efforts to establish the nature of the illness, the hospital where he was allegedly treated and the whereabouts of his remains yielded no satisfactory answers.
The sisters said the family’s demand was not to prejudge anyone but to establish the truth and ensure that whoever was found responsible was brought to justice.
“All we want is a proper investigation.”
Our brother has died under very disturbing circumstances, and we want to know how he died. It is painful that we have lost one brother and another brother and his wife are now suspects in his death, but we want answers,” they said.
They added: “We want the police to conduct a thorough investigation and not bow to any pressure. We want to know where his body is, what transpired before and after his death and why we were not informed until four days after he died. Our family deserves answers.”
Before the suspects’ arrest, the law firm of Mekwunye had petitioned the Lagos State Police Command, requesting a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
The petition sought information about the whereabouts of the deceased’s remains, the identity and location of the hospital in Benin City, Edo State, where he was allegedly treated, and access to relevant medical records.
The family said the matter was initially referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, where the suspects were invited for questioning.
However, they alleged that the Zone 2 Police Command subsequently attempted to take over the investigation, prompting them to submit another petition to the Inspector-General of Police on October 23, 2026.
In the petition, the family alleged that the suspects had failed to honour invitations from investigators at Panti. They also questioned the proposed transfer of the case to Zone 2, claiming that the command lacked a homicide division.
They urged the IGP to return the investigation to SCID, Panti, and ensure that the final investigation report was forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for appropriate legal action.
Following the arrest of the suspects, the family reiterated its demand for an independent and transparent investigation.
The family also urged the police to ensure that the body was not moved, buried, cremated or otherwise disposed of in a manner that could frustrate investigations.
It further demanded an autopsy and other appropriate forensic examinations in accordance with the law to determine the actual cause of death.
