Obinna Xandy Adimachukwu

2014

Onitsha, Anambra State

Obinna Xandy Adimachukwu, 26, was a graduate of Business Administration from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, in his home-state. He was from a large family of six children of which he was the only son. His father is a well-to-do school owner who resides in Asaba, 44.3km from their hometown, Oraifite in Anambra State. After Obinna graduated from school, his father assisted him to open a shop at Olive plaza in Onitsha where he sold clothes. Obinna’s business prospered over the years and he was soon importing clothes from India and China and as such dealing regularly with foreign exchange.

It was while waiting for one of the goods he had ordered from India that Obinna was picked up by members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian police. They searched him and found the sum of about $10,000 on him which he refused to surrender to them, insisting that it was his money and he had gotten it through legal means. They forced him into their van and took him away. 

In SARS custody, as Obinna’s father would come to find, they put Obinna in the cell where the most notorious criminals were being put and there he was beaten to death. Obinna’s father had gone to Awkuzu Sars where his son was taken to in order to secure the release of his son and several times, SARS officials denied any knowledge about his whereabouts. When he pushed further to get information, he was arrested and detained. Afterwards, an entourage was sent to his house, it was ransacked and they found a registered gun of his which they confiscated. 

Later on, he was released and it was later established that his son had indeed been in custody all the while. This time, when he asked to see his son, the head of Awkuzu SARS CSP. James Nwafor told him, unapologetically, that his son had been killed.