The bereaved father said the pattern of responses has convinced him that the truth is being deliberately suppressed.
Nearly two years after the killing of Nigerian Air Force Cadet Officer, Emmanuel Chidiebere Onyeomereneche, his family has again accused the military of deliberately covering up the circumstances surrounding his death, alleging that investigators already know who murdered him but are unwilling to make the information public.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, the victim’s father, Mr. Ephraim Onyeomereneche, described the handling of the case as “frustrating and heartbreaking,” insisting that the Nigerian military has abandoned one of its own.
“In my estimation, it does seem that the military investigation team was able to identify the murderer(s), but incapacitated to either make it public, communicate it to me, or they are still engaged in damage control,” he said.
Mr. Onyeomereneche disclosed that his efforts to obtain updates from military investigators have been met with silence and evasiveness.
“I contacted the investigative office by late December 2025, but he told me that he had been transferred outside 82 Division and did not know about the situation report,” he said.
“I pressed for the status of the investigation. He obliged and gave me the phone number of another officer, Peter, who, when I contacted him, declined to discuss the investigation over the phone.”
According to him, even attempts to secure a face-to-face meeting were unsuccessful.
“When I pressed and offered to visit him in 82 Division, Enugu, the military police officer told me that he was on assignment outside Enugu,” he said. “Further requests to know when he would be available in 82 Division for me to come and see him one-on-one were not successful, as he claimed that he didn’t know when he’d be back to his duty post.”
The bereaved father said the pattern of responses has convinced him that the truth is being deliberately suppressed.
“The whole episode is frustrating and heartbreaking,” he said. “I think that the military knows the truth about the murder of my son, Air Force CDT Emmanuel Chidiebere Onyeomereneche, but has continued to cover up and abandon one of their own. It’s frustrating and disappointing.”
In September 2025, SaharaReporters reported that the family condemned what it described as a “seeming conspiracy” by security agencies to protect those responsible for Chidiebere’s death, more than a year after the incident.
Chidiebere was killed at Hotel Royal Damgrete in Umuahia, Abia State, on April 9, 2024. His body was later dumped into the hotel’s swimming pool.
The family has alleged that fellow cadet officers, Valentine Ucheji Obeji and Peter Ndubuwa, were involved in the killing.
Initially, the Abia State Police Command announced that the cadet drowned while swimming. However, an autopsy report issued on June 29, 2024, contradicted that account.
A subsequent final autopsy report dated August 18, 2024, signed by Prof. M.A. Nnoli, Associate Prof. O.O. Jegede (Molecular Pathologist), Dr. Chukwuegbo C.C. and Dr. Ogbata S.E., ruled out poisoning as the cause of death.
The report stated: “We certify the cause of death in our opinion to be: 1a. Intracranial Haematoma; 1b. Skeletal Injury (Skull Fracture – Occipital & Right Parietal Region) and 1c. Soft Tissue Injury (Blunt Head Trauma – Occipital Region).”
It further explained: “Following the sudden blunt injury (soft tissue injury) at the back of the neck with consequent formation of subcutaneous haematoma and fracture as stated above, there is likely damage to vasomotor/ baroreceptor centres and nerve roots as the area is very prone to injury. These structures control the cardiovascular and respiratory centres and could have accounted for sudden death seen.”
The case took an even darker turn with the killing of a hotel staff member who was believed to have information about Chidiebere’s death.
SaharaReporters reported on April 13, 2024, that a sectional manager at the hotel, James Etubi, was allegedly beaten to death inside a military barracks in Abia State under the supervision of Major Inuwa.
Major Inuwa was reportedly investigating Chidiebere’s death when he ordered soldiers, including one of the cadets who accompanied Chidiebere to the hotel, to beat four hotel staff members invited for interrogation. Mr. Etubi later died from the assault.
SaharaReporters also reported on October 2, 2025, that Etubi’s family accused the military and police of conspiracy and shoddy investigation into his murder.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, Mr. Etubi Ukwumonun, the elder brother of the deceased hotel manager, said two prime suspects were initially identified in connection with Etubi’s killing.
“When my brother was killed, two suspects were identified; Peter Ndubuwa and Valentine Obeji, who were cadets at that time,” he said. “Then there were other military personnel who participated and in whose barracks the crime was committed.”
He alleged that while one suspect was protected, the other was used as a scapegoat.
“Right from the day after my brother, James Etubi, was killed, Valentine took off to Jaji and, from the look of things, he was shielded and eventually sent out to the UK for a training course despite the public outcry against him and what had transpired. Now he is a commissioned officer into Nigerian Air Force,” Ukwumonun said.
According to him, Peter Ndubuwa was dismissed from the Nigerian Defence Academy and handed over to the police, but the prosecution has been weak.
“The police investigation was inadequate, and the case file submitted to the Attorney General’s office lacked sufficient evidence to indict Peter,” he added.
For Chidiebere’s father, the pattern across both deaths points to what he described as a “golden conspiracy of silence” involving the Nigeria Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigeria Police Force.
Nearly 21 months after his son’s killing, Mr. Onyeomereneche says his only demand is justice.
“They owe my son the truth,” he said. “They owe my family the truth. And they owe this country the truth.”