By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

An Onitsha-based businessman whose name was simply given as Odogwu, has died in police custody following his arrest for allegedly molesting his two years old daughter.

Information has it that the man was arrested by police men attached to Awada Police station last week Tuesday, July 14, 2026, after his wife reported that he molested their two years old daughter.

According to an inside source, the family had been having some issues that had culminated to the man being locked out of the house by his wife for keeping late nights.

The source said: “The man is a businessman in Building Materials Market in Ogidi, just close to Onitsha. He’s married with a baby girl and popularly known as “Odogwu”.

“He is from Ifitedunu in Dunukofia LGA, but the wife is from Enugu State and they have been married for just three years.

“He is a jolly good guy and a friend. We used to hangout in the evening in our neighborhood, but his wife usually locks him out when he returns home.

“He has even brought his wife to the bar where we used to hangout, just so that she will know us as her husband’s friend and to know that he is not just staying with touts, but their problem still persisted. She has even come to the bar and challenged the husband before.”

It was further learnt that when she continued to humiliate him, he decided to send her out of the house and they started having problems.

The source added: "Before our friend knew it, she reported him to the police claiming that he fingered their two years old daughter. The guy was surprised why anyone would believe that kind of thing, but shortly after his arrest, we learnt he died.

“We even learnt that the accusation was after the wife visited a prayer house where they prophesied to her that her husband was molesting their daughter."

The source who spoke on condition of anonymity wondered why Awada police operatives were the ones that arrested the deceased when the man lived at Nkpor area of the state.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, has denied that any bodily injury was found on the man, to warrant any speculation about torture.

He said: “From observation of the man’s body, there was no mark of violence on the body."

He corroborated his stance with two pictures of the deceased corpse to show that no bodily injuries were found on him.

On why it was Awada police station that arrested the man, the screenshot showed that Nkpor police station that has jurisdiction over the deceased man’s area of residence was burnt down during the EndSARS protest in 2020 and had not been rebuilt, reason its operatives usually take suspects to Awada.

Meanwhile, the incident has generated reactions on social media with many speculating that police may have tortured the businessman to death over the allegation.

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