Delta chief gives police 14-day ultimatum to retract killing allegation

The Owelle of Onicha-Olona, Chief Jerry Nkeweshe, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Delta State Police Commissioner, Abaniwonda Olufemi, to retract the statement linking him to the alleged killing of three youths in Asaba and offer a public clarification of the allegation or face legal action for defamation, malicious falsehood, and abuse of office.

The Delta State Police Command had announced a manhunt for Nkeweshe and others alleged to have led an armed group that attacked the community on November 24, resulting in the deaths of three youths.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, the command had said preliminary findings indicated that the embattled chief allegedly led a team comprising vigilantes and suspected cultists — some dressed in army camouflage — to a disputed land along the Asaba–Onitsha Highway in a violent attempt to assert ownership.

But reacting through his lawyer, Kelechi Nnadi, on Thursday, Nkeweshe denied any involvement and described the police statement as false and damaging.

“We hereby issue a 14-day ultimatum to the Commissioner of Police and the Police Public Relations Officer to retract the false and defamatory publication, and offer a public clarification, clearing our client of the allegation.

“Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to initiate legal proceedings for defamation, malicious falsehood, and abuse of office, in addition to filing formal complaints before the Police Service Commission and other relevant oversight bodies, ” he said.

“We challenge the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, to demand the GSM location data of our client on that day.

“We reiterate our call for a transparent, unbiased, and lawful investigation into the killings. We equally demand that law enforcement authorities refrain from dragging innocent individuals into matters with which they have no involvement.”

Nnadi claimed that his client was not in Okwe or anywhere within Asaba on the day of the incident, explaining that Nkeweshe had left the city earlier that morning for medical attention in Umunede, where he stayed throughout the day.

“On the morning of November 24, 2025, Chief Nkeweshe departed Asaba at approximately 8:30 am to attend to medical concerns in Umunede, where he remained throughout the day in the company of credible witnesses, including Mr Ifeanyi Okolo and Mr Emmanuel Anwuzia, among others.

“He returned later in the evening and came directly to our law office for a briefing regarding the case involving him, which came up on November 25, 2025, at the Delta State High Court, Issele-Uku.

“It is therefore impossible for him to have participated in or led any armed group in Okwe on November 24, 2025,” the lawyer said.

“We call on the Commissioner of Police to clarify his role, including the allegation that meetings were held with interested parties, one of which reportedly took place on November 19, 2025, in his office. If these reports are inaccurate, he is free to publicly deny them.

“Chief Jerry Nkeweshe remains a law-abiding citizen and will continue to rely on the justice system to protect his name and constitutional rights,” he added.