My son’s killers dashed our hope of escaping poverty — Father of slain corps member

Okebaram Okanimee, the father of Chimaroke Okanimee, a former Student Union Government president at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, has spoken of the profound loss his family has suffered. His son's death has extinguished their hopes of escaping poverty, a dream deeply tied to Chimaroke's future prospects.

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The last time my son reached out was on July 24, 2026, in the morning around 8:58 am, when he spoke with Tochukwu, his sibling, on the phone. He had told his brother to find out something for him. So, in the evening when Tochukwu tried to give him feedback, he realised his number was unreachable.

Chimaroke was last heard from on the morning of July 24, 2026, when he spoke with his sibling, Tochukwu. By that evening, his phone was unreachable, a situation initially attributed to the poor network coverage in the riverine area where he was serving. However, by Sunday evening, concerns grew as it became clear he had not returned to his apartment since Friday and remained out of contact.

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On Monday morning, I directed three of my sons, Tochukwu, Chiyeaka and Chibuike, to travel to Bayelsa State to ascertain his whereabouts. They are his siblings. So, they went to the NYSC secretariat in Bayelsa State to find out how to get to his place.

The grim reality unfolded on Monday when Okanimee's three sons traveled to Bayelsa State to locate Chimaroke. At the NYSC secretariat, a director regretfully informed them of Chimaroke's death, showing them a video of his corpse. The family later received an official condolence visit from NYSC officials from Imo State.

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According to my boys, the director told them that they were saddened that my children had come because they (NYSC officials) were supposed to visit us. He then showed them a video of Chimaroke’s corpse.

Okebaram Okanimee stated that his son had no known conflicts or misunderstandings with anyone before his disappearance. He mentioned a past incident during Chimaroke's contest for SUG presidency at Nekede Polytechnic, where a protest occurred over the disqualification of two candidates. While the school management initially stood by their decision, the issue was eventually resolved after further discussions in Abuja. Okanimee, however, did not know the specific details of this resolution.

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No, he never made any complaint, not even at Nekede Polytechnic. When he bought the form to contest the SUG presidency, he said they were five contestants, but the school management screened out two persons. He said there was a protest over the two people who were dropped and that they had to travel to Abuja at the time.