Police Arrest Father Over Death of 7-Year-Old Found in Onitsha Construction Site
By Oge Onyeanusi, Onitsha
Police operatives attached to the 3-3 Divisional Headquarters in Anambra State have arrested a 40-year-old man, Alfred Bassey, in connection with the death of his 7-year-old child. The tragic incident occurred at an abandoned construction site along Trans-Nkisi Layout, Onitsha.
In a press release issued by the Police Public Relations officer , SP Tochukwu Ikenga
stated in a statement from the Anambra State Police Command, that the arrest took place at 9:30 a.m. as part of an ongoing investigation.
According to SP Ikenga, the Preliminary findings revealed that Bassey, a native of Abi in Cross River State, forcibly took custody of the child from the mother and had been living with him in an uncompleted building at the construction site.
Tragedy struck on December 11, 2024, when the lifeless body of the child was discovered in a soakaway pit at the abandoned building.
He said that the suspect was reportedly away from the site when the body was found. Medical personnel later confirmed the child’s death.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, expressed his sorrow over the incident and urged parents to prioritize their children’s welfare above personal conflicts. He emphasized that disagreements between spouses should not jeopardize the emotional or physical well-being of their children.
CP Itam has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Awka for further investigation.
He assured the public that the investigation would be thorough and that justice would be pursued diligently.
This incident has raised concerns about child safety and the need for parental responsibility, drawing attention to the consequences of neglect in strained family situations.
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