Nigerian father demands investigation into the death of his son, a medical student who drowned in Russia

A Nigerian father has demanded an investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of his 18-year-old son who died after drowning in a Russian River.

Prof Amaechi Ndubueze is the father of 18-year-old medical student, Knowledge Uzochi Ndubueze, who left Nigeria to study medicine in 2018 at Yugoslavia State Medical University.

Ndubueze, an indigene of Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia, reportedly drowned last week.

His father, a lecturer at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), received a call around 3:30 pm on July 9, informing him of his son’s death.

The bereaved father said: “It was his guardian who stays at St Petersburg: another city different from Yugoslavia State, where the boy was studying that called to inform me about my son’s death. When I asked him what happened, he told me he was not there with him to actually say what happened.

“But according to unverified source that spoke to him, the guardian, he learnt that the boy went for a picnic with others at a lake where the boy was said to have drowned and died instantly.”

Ndubueze suspected there could more to his son’s death than reported.

He said: “The news of my son’s death is rather unfortunate becaue we did not hear that he was sick as he has no previous sickness. So we suspect a foul play. We suspect that they are trying to use drowning to cover-up.

“How can someone just call me and say Knowledge Uzochi Ndubueze is dead like that?

“We are pleading with the Federal Executive Council led by President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Ahamefula to intervene and order investigation into this death as it is rather unfortunate.

“The chairman of Nigeria in Diaspora Commission Mrs. Dabire Abike Erewa, Nigerian Ambassador to Russia and other well meaning Nigerians should come to our help as we are helpless, there is definitely nothing we can do as this incidence is in far away Russia.

“My son’s movement to Russia is through right and appropriate means. He has his papers intact. His passport too and visa were legally processed.

“It was education that took him to Russia. The proper thing is for an investigation to be conducted into the circumstances surrounding his death and those culpable if any made to face the full weight of the law.”