Governor David Umahi of
Ebonyi has described the death of 74-year-old Nwali as a ‘monumental loss’ to
the state and nation.
Misery, the Ebonyi Police
Command has confirmed the retrieval of the corpse of a Second Republic Senator,
Dr Offia Nwali, from a pond behind his house.
ASP George Okafor, the
Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), made the confirmation in Abakaliki.
He said Nwali’s corpse was
found in a pond at the back of his building in his hometown of Ameka, Ezza
South Local Government Area, at the weekend.
“We cannot establish
whether he drowned inside the pond or whether he was killed but investigations
have commenced to unravel the mystery behind his death.
“We have not made any
arrest so far but we assure the citizens of the state that we would ensure that
the matter is investigated to its logical conclusion,” he said.
Umahi, who commiserated
with Nwali’s family during a condolence visit on Tuesday, described him as a
great scientist and patriotic Nigerian.
“His death is shocking to
all citizens of the state as his life which was full of mysteries, embodied
truth and commitment to the state’s cause,” he said.
The governor who was
accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bernard Odoh, and
top government officials, urged Nwali’s children to immortalise him.
“You should live just and
principled lives which your late father epitomised during his sojourn on earth.
“The state government would
assist the family during his burial and afterwards while upholding the legacies
he left behind,” he said.
Nwali’s first son, Oguzor,
said that his corpse had been deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital,
Abakaliki mortuary.
Oguzor described his father
as a legend, noting that his love for the unity of the state, Igbo race and
Nigeria, knew no bounds.
Nwali was one of the first
Africans to obtain a doctorate degree in Computer and Analytical Studies from
Harvard University, U.S.
His return to Nigeria in
1972 was facilitated by a former Inspector General of Police, Muhammadu Yusuf,
as he was appointed Chairman of the School Board by the then East Central State
Government.
He represented Abakaliki
Senatorial District at the National Assembly from 1979 to 1983 and was the
first individual to submit a written request for the creation of Ebonyi on Oct.
10, 1979.
Nwali lost his entire
family in a Forker 28-plane crash at the Enugu Airport in 1983 but later
remarried.
The Police Command in
Ebonyi also confirmed the retrieval of the corpses of two students of Federal
Government College, Okposi in Ohaoazara Local Government Area, from a stream in
the area.
Rest in peace
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