A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Okebaram Stanley Chimaraoke, has been found dead in a creek in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Chimaraoke was reportedly found dead on Monday after he allegedly went swimming in the creek. Residents told Daily Trust that the corps member drowned while swimming in the area. Naija News learnt that the deceased was a former President of the Students’ Union Government of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, where he studied before joining the NYSC scheme.
His death has sparked reactions from friends, colleagues and student bodies, who expressed shock over the incident and called for a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding his death. The NYSC has yet to issue an official statement on the incident. However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Musa Mohammed, confirmed the death and said an investigation had commenced.
He said, “The command has commenced a full scale investigation into the death of the corps member, and to ascertain the circumstances that lead to his death.” The police investigation is expected to establish what exactly happened before the corps member’s death. Meanwhile, a youth organisation in the state, Bayelsa Comrade Family, has urged the public to disregard reports claiming that Chimaraoke was murdered and his body dumped in the river.
The group said information available to it indicated that the corps member had gone swimming and accidentally drowned. In a statement issued by its spokesman, Comrade Ayakeme Paebi, the group said it decided to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death to prevent the spread of misinformation. The statement read in part, “The attention of the Bayelsa Comrade Family (BCF) has been drawn to several reports and social media publications alleging that the late Comr.
Okebaram Stanley, a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Bayelsa State and former Students’ Union President of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State, was killed in Bayelsa State. “We consider it necessary to set the record straight in order to prevent the spread of misinformation capable of creating unnecessary tension and misleading the public.” According to the group, the death was a tragic accident and not a case of murder.
“From the information available to us, the late Comr. Okebaram Stanley was not killed. Rather, on report the unfortunate incident occurred while he was swimming in a creek in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, where he accidentally drowned. A tragic accident claimed the life of a promising young Nigerian,” the statement added. The group appealed to members of the public, media organisations, bloggers and social media users to avoid spreading unverified claims about the incident.
“We therefore urge members of the public, media organisations, bloggers, and social media users to refrain from circulating unverified information or narratives suggesting that he was murdered; however the case is under investigation,” it said. The organisation warned that unconfirmed reports could cause further pain to the deceased’s family and create unnecessary fear among residents.
“Such reports only deepen the pain of the bereaved family and may create avoidable panic and misconceptions about the peaceful disposition of Bayelsa State,” the group stated. As of the time of filing this report, the police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the corps member’s death was ongoing.
