Adeda Death: Oborevwori Under Pressure as Family Rejects Probe Panel, Commissioner, aides arrested

By Correspondent

ASABA — The death of Mr Unity Ekwevugbe Adeda, a Deputy Director in the Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, has plunged the state into a fresh controversy, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) demanding accountability, the police investigating the matter as a homicide case and the deceased’s family rejecting the administrative panel set up by the state government.

Adeda reportedly died in hospital on Friday, September 25, after an incident at the state secretariat in Asaba the previous day. Allegations surrounding what transpired before his death triggered an angry reaction from organised labour, which shut down the state secretariat and demanded a thorough investigation.

The controversy has now placed the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori under pressure to demonstrate that the circumstances surrounding the civil servant’s death will be investigated transparently and that anyone found culpable will face the law.

In response to the growing tension, the state government constituted an eight-member Administrative Panel of Inquiry with a two-week mandate to investigate the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.

The panel, announced by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Eze Emu, is chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mrs Charity Ehimen.

Its membership includes senior government officials as well as representatives of the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council.

The government said the administrative inquiry would run alongside the police investigation into the criminal aspect of the matter.

But the panel has already run into opposition from the deceased’s family.

The family, through Lloyd Sodje Adeda, brother of the deceased, rejected the panel and questioned the credibility of the process, insisting that the family would explore legal avenues in its quest for justice.

The family also rejected a proposed condolence visit by the state government, further deepening the dispute over the handling of the matter.

Meanwhile, the police investigation has assumed a criminal dimension.

The Delta State Police Command said it received a complaint alleging that Adeda was beaten during an incident at the office of the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu.

Police spokesperson, Bright Edafe, said persons connected with the incident had been identified and arrested as investigations progressed.

Subsequent reports indicated that the commissioner and four others were arrested, while two other persons were being sought.

The police have, however, not declared anyone guilty, stressing that the investigation is ongoing and that evidence, including witness accounts and other relevant material, would determine the facts of the case.

The development had earlier brought government activities at the Prof. Chike Odozien Secretariat to a standstill as angry NLC members locked the gates and demanded justice for their colleague.

The labour action reflected growing concerns among workers over the circumstances of Adeda’s death and broader questions about the safety and treatment of civil servants within government offices.

The crisis was eventually defused after Governor Oborevwori met with organised labour.

Following the meeting, NLC Chairman, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku, announced the suspension of the protest and directed workers to return to their offices from 8am on Monday, September 28.

Ofobruku said labour accepted the governor’s assurances that the matter would be investigated and that anyone found culpable would be made to face the law.

But the family’s rejection of the government’s panel means that the controversy is far from over.

For the Oborevwori administration, the challenge now extends beyond constituting a panel. The government must contend with the demand for public confidence in the investigation, the parallel police inquiry and questions from organised labour and the deceased’s family over how the matter is handled.

The central question remains what exactly happened to Adeda at the state secretariat before he was taken to hospital and subsequently died.

Until the police and administrative investigations establish the sequence of events and determine responsibility based on evidence, allegations surrounding the incident remain unproven.

The outcome of the investigations is therefore expected to determine whether the government’s promise of justice will translate into concrete action against anyone found to have played a role in the death of the senior civil servant.