A 36-year-old Nigerian, Christopher Omoike has jumped to death in Johannesburg, South Africa in a bid to avoid arrest by the police.
According to Channels TV, Omoike jumped from his 9th-floor apartment after police arrived at the building following complaints made against him by a Nigerian woman who had a baby for him. As at press time, Channel TV said the there were conflicting accounts as to the events that led to the invitation of the police to his apartment.
Omoike’s flatmate and his South African girlfriend were however quoted as saying that Omoike was trying to avoid arrest following an alleged violent attack on the Nigerian woman. Nigeria’s Consul General in Johannesburg, Godwin Adama visited the scene of the incident on the invitation of the police.
He told Channel TV that he got a message that a Nigerian has committed suicide. ON arrival at the apartment, he was told that in the previous night Omoike “had been very worried because he was having some challenges with a Nigerian lady who had a baby for him. He had seized the lady’s phone but later that night, they met and she was struggling to get back the phone.
“He beat her with a bottle or whatever.” On the basis of this, the roommate, Oscar, in his testimony, said he took her to the police station to make a report that she was battered and was bleeding.
Adama said based on the report, police visited the apartment. Adama quoted Omoike’s South African girlfriend as having said that Omoike had earlier told her that he would kill himself should the police come.
Adama said the police invited him apparently to establish the fact that they did not take any action other than the invitation by his fellow Nigerian, that would have warranted Omoike to jump to death to avoid arrest.
The Consul General said the police was carrying out an autopsy to establish the cause of Omoike’s death “after which the Independent Police Investigation Directorate will hand over the case to another department for further investigation.
