The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 17-year-old boy, Arthur Angel Jr., for allegedly killing his 70-year-old father, Arthur Judah Angel, in Ugboha, Esan South East Local Government Area of the state. The incident occurred on Sunday, July 14, 2024.
Arthur Judah Angel, an anti-death penalty advocate and human rights defender, was reportedly killed and buried in a shallow grave behind his house. He had been sentenced to death in 1986 for a crime he claimed he did not commit and had since dedicated his life to fighting against the death penalty through his foundation, Life Wire International Foundation. He travelled to over 15 countries advocating for the abolition of the death penalty through art exhibitions and drawings.
The spokesman for the Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, July 17. He revealed that a preliminary investigation indicated that the deceased’s son had previously threatened to kill his father over money.
“On the 15th of July, 2024, at about 09.00 hours, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugboha division in Edo State received a complaint that one Arthur Angel Jr. (17 years) brought a complaint of a shallow grave discovery at the backyard of the compound where he lived with the deceased,” Nwabuzor stated.
“Immediately, the DPO mobilized his men and they moved out to the scene. On getting there, they saw a shallow grave and decided to exhume the body. When the body was exhumed, they discovered that it was the lifeless body of Arthur Angel, 70, with a sharp injury on the back of his head. The body was taken to Uromi Hospital mortuary.”
The police revealed that the suspect had hit his father with a sledgehammer while he was asleep, believing that his father had received money from Amnesty International. The suspect has been transferred to the homicide section of the Edo State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
Arthur’s cousin, Michael Ihaza, confirmed the murder to the media, stating that he was unaware of any threats against his uncle. He noted that Arthur had won several cases over family land, but he did not know if that had caused any issues.
“He never reported any threat to his life to me. However, his 15-year-old son, who reported the case to the police in Ugboha, has been taken into custody for questioning, but I don’t think he has a hand in his father’s death,” Ihaza said.
“My late uncle fought for humanity in his lifetime. He worked on prison reform and was a gentleman. I never heard that he had a problem with anyone. The police say they are investigating the matter, so we don’t want to say anything that will jeopardize the investigation. Hopefully, the culprit will be identified and brought to justice,” he added.