The Edo State Police Command has detailed the events leading to the murder of a 70-year-old man, Arthur Judah Angel, by his 17-year-old son, Arthur Angel Jr. The incident was related to a financial expectation from Amnesty International. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, briefed newsmen in Benin City, revealing that the suspect had repeatedly threatened his father over the anticipated money.
Nwabuzor reported that the suspect had been arrested after he killed his father with a sledgehammer and buried him in a shallow grave behind their house. On July 15, 2024, at approximately 9:00 AM, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Ugboha division received a report from Arthur Angel Jr. regarding a shallow grave found in their backyard.
Upon arrival at the scene, police officers exhumed the grave and discovered the lifeless body of Arthur Judah Angel, bearing a sharp injury on the back of the head. The body was then transported to Uromi Hospital mortuary for further examination.
The investigation revealed that Arthur Angel Jr. had threatened his father multiple times, believing the expected money from Amnesty International had been received. Acting on this belief, he used a sledgehammer to strike his father on the head while he was asleep. The suspect has been transferred from Ugboha to the homicide section of the Edo State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
The incident took place in Ugboha community, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State. The deceased, Arthur Judah Angel, was a prominent anti-death penalty advocate and human rights defender. He used his foundation, Life Wire International Foundation, to campaign against the death penalty in Nigeria and had traveled to over 15 countries to speak against it through his art exhibitions and drawings.