The Abia State Police Command has launched an investigation into the death of Joseph Urum, an employee at Do Good Farm in Abiriba, Ohafia Local Government Area, Abia State, vowing to uncover the truth behind his demise.
According to reports, the doctor who treated Urum before his death revealed that “about three litres of pus were extracted from his abdomen.”
This startling detail emerged amid growing controversy over the circumstances surrounding his death.
Meanwhile, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (Enachoken Abiriba IV), the paramount traditional ruler of the Abiriba ancient kingdom, has called for peace and demanded justice for both the deceased and the owner of the multi-million piggery farm.
“I want justice for the deceased; I want justice for the owner of the farm. After police investigations, whoever is at fault, we will know, and start addressing the fault. We don’t want another person to die. We will continue to do our best to ensure there is peace. I want peace in my community. Both parties are my subjects,” he stated.
Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chilaka, told Vanguard that some suspects had already been taken into custody.
She added, “We are aware of the matter. Investigations are on-going. We have been to the hospital where he died and dropped a letter with the doctor on treatment history before and after his death. Once we gather reasonable facts, we shall know if there is need for autopsy.”
Joseph Urum died on February 26, 2025, following allegations that he died under questionable circumstances. His fellow workers, Oko Ukaegbu, Pastor Ejemole Ukaegbu, Maduka, and Bassey were arrested and detained by the police amid these claims, while local youths reportedly threatened to burn down the piggery farm.
The owner of the farm, Mrs Onyinye Urum Ukaegbu Ibe, who is based in the United States and also Joseph’s step-aunt, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police.
She called for a thorough investigation into the matter, dismissing the allegations as false and a veiled attempt to destroy her investments.
Distancing herself from the incident, she insisted that an autopsy is needed to ascertain the true cause of death.
Joseph’s family has also voiced its concerns.
His mother, Mrs Jane Agwu Nmaju (née Urum), along with his elder sister, Mrs Nne Ejituru, and younger sister, Mrs Ruth Uchechukwu, have demanded justice.
“We don’t know what killed him. Those who were taking him round hospitals should explain to us. We want justice for him. How can he be sick at Abiriba only to be taken to Mbaise hospital to die?” they said.
One daughter further added, “They ought to have called to inform us and seek our consent before the surgery.” Mrs Ejituru fumed, “My mother said they contacted her and asked her to agree so that Joseph could be operated on.
“They knew she lives in Bayelsa and it would take some time for her to arrive. Then when she told them that her daughter (Ruth) lives in Umuahia, and would join them soon, they said they were at Mbaise. The next they said was that he was dead. Then, when my mother came with some family members they said he had been deposited in the mortuary and that his corpse cannot be seen until after seven days. So, we became surprised and suspicious. How can our brother be that sick and surgery conducted on him without our consent? Ejimole who is my mother’s step-brother ought to have told us before taking my brother to Mbaise.”
Ruth described her experience at the hospital in Mbaise: “When my mother told me Joseph was sick, I got to the hospital at Mbaise around 9am on February 26 and saw him on a surgical table and knew he was already lifeless. The hospital was like a shop. I saw that my brother already had a tear in his abdomen. I inquired from the doctor what happened. He said they didn’t run any test on him. I said: Why will they operate on him just like that? By mere looking at him, he was just lifeless. I knew he was already dead but it wasn’t I that would pronounce him dead.”
“The doctor said his intestines were like something that was cooked. I told the doctor it was unfortunate he could do that kind of surgery without test or scan. I became angry and stepped out. Within 15 minutes the doctor came out and said he was done and that the operation was successful. After the operation, he left for about three hours. We became worried and I asked the nurse, and she said the doctor was coming. Ejimole was busy making calls.”
When Vanguard visited Evergreen Hospital & Maternity in Onicha Ezinihitte Mbaise, Imo State, Proprietor Dr Alexander Ohanyere said he did all he could to save Urum but ultimately failed.
“I tried to give him the best services; I took some desperate measures to save him but, unfortunately they didn’t work,” he explained.
Dr Ohanyere detailed the emergency: “I got a call from a patient I had treated before, saying they had an emergency situation. So, when they came, it was already a contaminated case. I told them that the patient can’t go to the theatre due to his condition. He lacked blood, and the scan result he came with showed the intestines were perforated. He also had low blood pressure. We needed to stabilize him first before any surgery could be conducted on him. After some times the kidneys stopped working. As we kept making efforts to revive him, I noticed massive water in his abdomen. Then the quick intervention was to drain the massive water in his abdomen. I was amazed to see pus in his abdomen. For the abdomen to be that rotten, it means it had been bad for some weeks. So, I removed about 10 milligram of fluid and he reacted positively to show he had relief. Then I brought a bucket and removed about three litres of pus from his abdomen.”
Asked about rumours of further surgical intervention on his organs, Dr Ohanyere stated he did not proceed beyond “extracting the mass fluid in his abdomen” and urged anyone in doubt to call for an autopsy.
Dr Joshua Okereke from Abiriba General Hospital, where Joseph was first attended to, said he recognized the seriousness of his condition and promptly referred him to FMC Umuahia.
“We don’t have the facility to handle him here. So, within 20 minutes, I had referred him to the FMC that has everything needed to manage his situation. Acute abdomen means something is wrong inside the abdominal cavity. It could be intestinal obstruction or a hole, or ulcer that has eaten the stomach. The sickness was not like something that came suddenly. Looking at him you will see he has been sick,” he explained.
Dr Okereke expressed surprise at the police involvement, noting, “I’m surprised that police are involving us. The patient left here alive but very sick. Whatever happened to him later, I was not aware.”
An employee of Do Good Farm, Mrs Confidence Nduka, told Vanguard that the deceased had a habit of skipping meals, often substituting them with tea, and had no conflicts with co-workers that would suggest foul play.
Other staff members confirmed that their frantic efforts to get him medical help contradict any murder allegations.
Regarding the decision to take Joseph to a clinic in Mbaise rather than FMC Umuahia, sources said he was allegedly told at FMC “to come back in the morning due to lack of space.”
Detained co-workers reported that when they arrived at FMC, they were not attended to, prompting them to seek help at Mbaise hospital based on a recommendation from a friend of a former Enugu doctor.
FMC Umuahia’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Darlington Madubuko, acknowledged that while bed space constraints sometimes force patients to return later, the management is investigating the matter.
“Remember that there was no record to prove that the person you are referring to was our patient since he was not admitted. But we will investigate the matter. If the time they arrived was too late, and there was no bed space at the emergency unit, there is no way he would be admitted. We were admitting before even when there was no bed space but people started posting photos of patients on the floor to blackmail us,” he said.
Madubuko added that the hospital, often overcrowded due to patients from neighbouring states, is constructing a new emergency unit.
“We are building a new emergency unit and it will soon be ready. There’s massive infrastructural development with new equipment by the current management to make sure we give the best of services,” he explained.
Chief Medical Director, Professor Azubuike Onyebuchi further noted that the new emergency building, “which is triple the existing one,” is scheduled to open in the first week of April, along with the engagement of 35 new nurses to ease current pressures.
In a bid to restore calm, HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu (Enachoken Abiriba IV) intervened to defuse rising tensions in the community.
He explained, “When I heard of the matter I invited all the parties. The siblings of the deceased told us that their brother died in questionable circumstances. So, I invited the police, and told the police: This is your area. Go and investigate and find out what happened. I’m very sure police know what to do.”
The monarch also halted local threats to burn down the farm, advising, “By then, tension was already rising in the community. They were thinking of how to burn down the farm but I said it was not proper to destroy somebody’s investment because of allegations.”
“So, in the interim, I asked them to put palm fronds there to allow for partial operations in the farm. We learnt there are animals in the farm and if you lock it down they will all die. There are no more threats. Once we handed over the matter to the police, both families have been cooperating.”
On rumours that youths might force the burial of Joseph on the farm to seize control of it, Enachoken dismissed the claim: “We don’t address rumour. But if there is any reason for that the family will come to the community. They can’t decide that on their own. The issue of where to bury him has not arisen. If at the end of the day, he died of natural cause, why should anyone go and bury him in the farm? If the police are through with investigation, we will call all the parties again at the palace and tell them what to do.”
