By Onochie Anibeze
The police in Dallas, USA have made a u-turn on the death of former Super Eagles star, Uche Okafor.
Victor Ugo, Vice Chairman of Nigerians In Diaspora in the Americas, said yesterday that the police have withdrawn from their position of suicide being the cause of death to "inconclusive evidence." The police also added that "investigation is ongoing."
This followed the strong representation made in Dallas by the Nigerian Consulate in Atlanta in protest against the shoddy investigation the police have so far made on the death of the former Nigerian star who was found hanging in his house at Little Elm in Texas, January 6, 2011.
Anthony Ogbe of the Nigerian consulate had spent two days visiting Uche's family and the police in Dallas and after his investigations he mounted pressure on the police to carry out thorough investigation on the circumstances surrounding Uche's death. He was said to have expressed disappointment on the police investigation and was sad that even fingerprints on doors and other areas including Uche's body were not taken when they took the body away...
"The Nigerian community here feels that the police were lackadaisical on their investigations because no American was involved as Uche was married to a Nigerian too," Ugo said, adding "our organisation and the entire Nigerian community here give the Nigerian Consulate credit for the pressure on the police to do a good job and to let them knowthat they have not done well."
Ugo also said that Samson Siasia's wife, Sandra joined hands with the Nigerian Consulate in what has compelled the police to realise their poor investigation, making them "change the cause of death as suicide to inconclusive evidence.
Spokesman of the Okafor family, Ugochukwu Nwaokorie said before Saturday's police u-turn that the Dallas Police had released the body and said that they were done with it and that result of their autopsy would be released later.
"There are common things a body that dies of hanging exhibits. There could be evidence of human faeces from the anus, there could also be urine and the tongue could be thrusting out. None of these signs was found on Uche's body. We don't believe that Uche hanged himself. . We want the police to do a thorough job," Nwaokorie said.
Ugo added yesterday that another puzzle was the fact that Uche's spinal chord was found broken.
"If he died of hanging the neck could be broken and not down the spines. The police said that they have seen so many features of suicide by hanging and could not be conclusive on the fact that Uche's body did not show any of the said features.
"We'll stay on top of this case as far as we can. It is only unfortunate that the police did not take fingerprints when they were supposed to do so and with many visitors to the scene now we don't know what they can make of such exercise now. They have simply not done a good job," Ugo of the Association Nigerians In Diaspora in the Americas said.
The Uche I knew couldn't have killed himself - Chukwu
Christian Chukwu, the man who coached Uche Okafor severally has added voice to that of Aminu Maigari, Nigeria Football Federation President who charged the US police to carry out thorough investigation on the death of the former Nigerian star.
"The Uche Okafor I knew would not hang himself for any reason," Chukwu said at the weekend. He, along with Clemens Westerhof coached the 1994 Tunisia Nations Cup winning squad and the USA 1994 team. He played great matches in Tunisia.
"Uche was doing well with his car business. There are Lebanese that he supplies cars to in Nigeria and he dealt on big cars. We rode in one of them during the NFF elections that he witnessed in Abuja. He drove me around in Abuja and discussed issues.
He was doing well. He never liked controversy or any kind of trouble. He was humble and peace-loving. He was just a pleasant human being and couldn't have taken his life for anything. I don't believe that he hanged himself. The police should investigate the matter properly,"Chukwu said.
Uche was found hanging in his house in Texas January 6. Chukwu continued:: "Uche was not withdrawn from people. Most people planning suicide withdraw from people for sometime. Some leave notes before hanging or show some traces of depression. Uche never showed any. I don't believe Uche hanged himself."
