Delta commissioner arrested after allegedly sending thugs to beat deputy director to death in his office

• Police arrested Delta Commissioner Kingsley Ashibogwu over Adeda’s death.

• Adeda was allegedly beaten and tied during an incident at the ministry.

• Police initially arrested one aide and declared others wanted.

• Ashibogwu denies ordering or taking part in the alleged assault.

The Delta State Police Command has arrested the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, in connection with the death of a Deputy Director in the state Ministry of Secondary Education, Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.

Ashibogwu was taken into custody alongside three other suspects as police intensified their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death in Asaba, Delta State.

The development came days after Adeda died in hospital following an incident at the state secretariat, where he was allegedly assaulted during a confrontation involving officials and aides linked to the commissioner.

Sources alleged that Adeda was beaten by thugs acting on the commissioner’s orders and was subsequently tied up before being taken to hospital. The report said he died on September 25, 2026, a day after the alleged confrontation. 

Police initially arrested one of the people accused of being involved in the assault.

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, identified the suspect as Lucky Adoh and said the command was also searching for Enos Attah and Oputa Okestine.

“The Command has also taken note of allegations suggesting that he was physically assaulted by aides to the Commissioner identified as Enos Attah, Oputa Okestine, and Lucky Adoh,” Edafe said in a statement.

The police said Adoh had been arrested while efforts were ongoing to apprehend the other two suspects.

The case subsequently widened, with the police announcing the arrest of Ashibogwu and three other suspects, bringing the number of people in custody to five at that stage. The command also declared the Director of Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs Clementine Ufuoma, and the commissioner’s driver, Clement Apia, wanted for questioning.

“The Delta State Police Command, in continuation of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda, Deputy Director in the Delta State Ministry of Secondary Education, has taken into custody the Commissioner for Secondary Education, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, alongside three other suspects in connection with the case,” the police said.

“This brings the number of persons currently in Police custody in connection with the investigation to five.”

The police said the investigation would establish what happened and determine individual responsibility based on the available evidence.

“The investigation will be pursued thoroughly, impartially and professionally,” the command said, assuring the deceased’s family and members of the public that “anyone found culpable will be brought to justice in accordance with the law.”

However, Ashibogwu has denied ordering anyone to assault Adeda or personally taking part in any beating.

In his account of the incident, the commissioner said he became involved after receiving distress calls concerning Adeda, whom he alleged had become violent and was threatening people around the ministry.

Ashibogwu also alleged that Adeda attacked him during their encounter and urged the public to allow investigators to determine what actually happened through evidence, including available video footage and medical records.

The conflicting accounts have heightened calls for a transparent investigation, with the police saying they would examine relevant evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.

The Nigeria Labour Congress also protested over the death and shut the Delta State Secretariat in Asaba, demanding accountability and assurances about the safety of workers.

NLC Delta chairman Goodluck Ofobruku said: “Whoever is responsible for this beating that led to his untimely death must be brought to book before we come back.”

The Delta State Government also constituted an administrative panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death, although members of his family and his home community have questioned the composition of the panel and demanded a more independent investigation.

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The investigation has continued to expand. On September 30, police confirmed the arrest of Clementina Ojumah, Director of Exams and Standards in the Ministry of Secondary Education, after she reported herself to the command. That brought the number of people in police custody in connection with the case to six.

Adeda’s home community, Otovwodo in Ughelli North Local Government Area, subsequently protested his death and gave the state government a seven-day ultimatum to take action. Residents carried placards demanding justice and questioned the circumstances in which the deputy director died.

The police have not concluded the investigation or established criminal responsibility against the commissioner or any of the other suspects. The allegations that Ashibogwu ordered the assault remain allegations, while his denial is part of the competing accounts investigators are expected to examine.