Brutally Murdered Nigerian In India Finally Buried In Imo State

The 35-year-old Nigerian, who was killed in Gao, India, on October 30, Simeon Obodo, has been buried in his hometown in Obogwe-Umunwaku   in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

A representative of the family, Ejike Esinkoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview yesterday, that the funeral service for Obodo was held at St Paul’s Catholic Church, Obogwe-Umunwaku and expressed dismay that the federal government did not send any official delegation to the burial.

He also said  the family had not received any compensation or assistance from India.

The murder of the Nigerian during a violent clash in the Indian village  sparked a diplomatic row between both countries.

Some 200 Nigerians in India protested Obodo’s murder by blocking a national highway and clashing with locals and police in the area.
Fifty-three of the protesting Nigerians were arrested and later released, after paying fees to secure their release.

The Director, Consular and Immigration Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdulazeez Dankano, had on December 16, said the diplomatic rift between both countries that Obodo’s murder caused was now “under control”.
  Dankano was part of a federal government delegation that visited New Delhi in early December to conclude negotiations on three agreements affecting the welfare of Nigerians in that country.

He said the Indian government had made some arrests in connection with Obodo’s murder but did not say whether the suspects had been charged.

Born on November 1, 1977,    the late Obodo attended Umunwaku Primary School in Ohaji/Egbema and Umunwaku Secondary School from 1992 to 1998.
According to a biography published by the family, the late Obodo worked and lived in Port Harcourt before travelling to Liberia in 2009.

The late Obodo, who left Nigeria for India on January 9, before his   death on November 30, few days to his 36th birthday, is survived by an aged mother, a daughter and a wife