Chief Jerry Nkeweshe, the Owelle of Onicha-Olona, has demanded the withdrawal of a police statement linking him to the killing of three youths in the Okwe community near Asaba, Delta State.
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 the youths.
The command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, confirmed the killings and said the suspects were being sought in connection with the attack.
But reacting through his lawyer, Kelechi Nnadi, on Wednesday, Nkeweshe denied any involvement and described the police statement as false and damaging.
Nnadi said 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.
According to him, the chief was with witnesses and later returned to Asaba only to meet with his lawyers in preparation for a court matter scheduled for the following day at the Delta State High Court, Issele-Uku.
“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 today, being the 25th day of November, 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 24 November 2025,” the lawyer said.
“We call on the Commissioner of Police to clarify his role, including allegatiom
that meetings were held with interested parties, one of which reportedly took place on 19 November 2025 in his office. If these reports are inaccurate, he free to publicly deny them.
“It is also important to state that this is not the first time our client has been
targeted with baseless allegations. Only recently, a fabricated claim of cybe
terrorism -allegedly orchestrated with the involvement of one Emmanuel
Bazim, the Chairman of Aniocha North Local Government Council – was
brought against him but was swiftly dismissed following a thorough
investigation on the directives of the Inspector General of Police.
The present attempt to implicate Chief Nkeweshe appears to be a continuat
of such harassment, and we will not allow these acts to go unchallenged.”
Nkeweshe gave the Commissioner of Police and the Police Public Relations Officer 14 days to retract the statement and issue a public clarification clearing him of the allegation.
The lawyer said failure to do so would lead to legal action for defamation, malicious falsehood, and abuse of office, as well as petitions to oversight bodies.
“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 for the GSM Location data of our client on that day.
“We reiterate our call for a transparent, unbiased, and lawful investigation into the Okwe killings.
“We equally demand that law enforcement authorities refrain from dragging innocent individuals into matters with which they have no involvement.
He also urged journalists to verify sensitive claims before publication.
“We seize this opportunity to urge members of the press to conduct independent investigations before publishing sensitive claims, especially when such publications may endanger lives or mislead the public.
“Journalists and the general public are reminded that: The disputed land matter is currently before a competent court. Chief Jerry Nkeweshe has no connection to the incident in Okwe. The police authorities have both the means and responsibility to identify the actual perpetrators.
“Chief Jerry Nkeweshe remains a law-abiding citizen and will continue to rely on the justice system to protect his name and constitutional rights,” the statement read.
