Anxiety as DIG investigating Abba Kyari, Joseph Egbunike, slumps, dies in office

Joseph Egbunike, a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) who was in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, is dead.

According to reports, Egbunike died on Tuesday, after he slumped in his office, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The DIG, who hails from Onitsha, Anambra State, was until his death, heading the Special Investigation Panel constituted by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to investigate the activities of the suspended head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari, over money laundering allegations.

While details of the incident are still sketchy, it was gathered that Egbunike had met his doctor for a medical check-up after feeling unwell.

Few minutes after he was given drugs, the senior officer who was said to have driven to the office in the company of family members, in his usual bumbling self, slumped and died.

Until his death, Egbunike was in charge of the highest investigating arm of the Nigeria Police.

Its functions include investigation and prosecution of serious and complex criminal cases within and outside the country. The department also coordinates crime investigations/prosecution throughout the force.

Egbunike had, in late 2021, investigated suspended police chief, Abba Kyari, but did not indict him despite indictments by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In July, Egbunike also faced contempt following the alleged disobedience of the order of the Federal High Court, Enugu Judicial Division.

Egbunike graduated from the University of  Nsukka with BSc in Accounting. He also had a Bachelor of Law, a master’s in International Relations and a PhD in Criminology.

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