By Okosun Dennis
A civilian staffer of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital (NNRH), Ojo, has been allegedly brutalized and tortured to death by four Naval officers in Lagos.
The victim, Richard Onumegbu, who was a civilian laboratory technician at NNRH, Ojo, was beaten to death on the 26th March, 2024 after seven hours of torture and brutalization by uniformed colleagues on the order of a lady he had a quarrel with.
Disclosing the death in a viral video, a victim’s family member who didn’t disclose his name explained that the four officers beat him for seven hours in his boss house before he died.
In her narration, she said that Onumegbu had an altercation with a lady who lived in the same quarter with his boss. She bullied him and called him “Dog Boy” anytime he visited the house to take care of his boss pets, she said.
As a result of constant bullying by the lady, Richard stood his ground and challenged her. In the process, the lady wanted to slap him, and he defended himself, and brought her to the floor.
Richard didn’t beat the woman, his family member said, adding he only demanded her apology.
“Realizing she was wrong, she apologized to Richard and let her go. He never laid his hands on the lady,” she reiterated.
It was learnt that soon after they parted, the lady went to mobilize five officers, who went back to the house with her and launched a debilitating attack on Richard without bothering to hear him out, and tortured him for seven hours between 8pm of March 26 and 1am of March 27.
“Four of the five men brutalized, kicked and punched him. They beat him to the extent that his body was swollen. Unfortunately, on Easter Sunday, the family got a call that Richard had died.”
To show how much the deceased was committed to his job, despite the beating, he was said to have gone to work where he died.
“That was when they discovered the body of Richard was swollen from the injuries he sustained after seven hours of beating.”
Alleging that the naval officers carried out “jungle justice” on Richard, she appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ensure justice is served and his death is not swept under the carpet.
“Even if Richard was a thief or stole, why will they apply jungle justice on Richard by his colleagues – the only difference being a civilian staffer,” she said.
Lambasting the Nigerian Navy, the lady reiterated that ” NN has failed him (Richard) while he was alive and prayed, they don’t fail him in death to get justice.”
However, expressing fears to get justice, she alleged that since the incident took place, the naval authorities seem to have hidden details on how the interrogation of the suspects that perpetrated the act is going, noting that “NN is covering a lot of things as they are not saying anything to the family as they claimed they can’t divulge the case to them.
“They took away the joy of a family, a promising young man that had so dream to give. All we want is justice because there is no amount of tears that can bring Richard back to life. He worked with the NN for 15 years but to think he died in the hands of NN makes me sick,” she concluded.
In a swift reaction, the Joint Executive Council (JEC), Ministry of Defence in a letter to all the Directors, Civilian Personnel Units (CPU), commenced a solidarity peaceful mourning protest on the 8th April to Friday, 12th April 2024, to drum support and seek for justice for the deceased.
They described the action as “the barbaric brutalization, torture and killing of Mr. Iheanyi, Richard Onumegbu by four Naval Officers on the 2nd April, 2024.
The letter signed by JEC Secretary, Mr Chibuzo Ibeakanma, and dated 5th April, 2024, directed JEC to embark on peaceful mourning protest across all the Ministry of Defence CPU’s, Military formations and Headquarters with effect from yesterday, Monday, 8th April, 2024 to Friday 12 April 2024.
As a result, all the civilian staff are to appear on black attires while carrying green leaves as mark of respect and mourning state throughout the period with the inscription “Civilians should be allowed to breathe.”
In a telephone conversation, Comrade Ibeakanma explained that the mourning protest went successfully at the Ministry of Defence, Abuja.
He added that the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar Kana appealed to them on behalf of the Minister of Defence to shelve the mourning protest as investigation into the matter has begun.
According to him, he disclosed that the lady in question is not an officer, adding their concern is “to ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out to unravel the cause of the actions of the naval personnel and give appropriate punishment to those involved.”
Among other demands, JEC said it is withdrawing the services of civilian personnel from the Naval Hospital until such a time that the ministry meets their demand, in addition to ensuring that such “an act don’t occur to any Civilian staff again”.
When contacted for his reaction to the development, the Director of Information (DINFO) Commodore Aiyuwor Adams-Aliu said, “Please, I will get back to you on this.”
Onumegbu, a laboratory technician, worked at the Reference Hospital Ojo for 15 years until he was brutally beaten to death. He was awarded Best Junior Civilian Staff 4th Quarter in 2019 in the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Ojo.
