Abia Police Commissioner Chris Ezike has confirmed that the command was still investigating the case of Chidiebere David who drowned in a swimming pool in Aba on November 29.
Mr Ezike also said on Wednesday that the deceased’s friends have been taken back into custody for questioning.
The 20-year-old drowned in a hotel pool at Margret Avenue, GRA.
Chidiebere was said to have gone to swim in the hotel’s pool during his colleague’s birthday party but drowned.
Friends of the victim who were at the party were arrested by the police for investigation but later released on November 30.
A police source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that their release came after preliminary investigations involving CCTV footage previews at the Central Police Station Aba, failed to link them to their colleague’s death.
However, the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday re-arrested and moved the men to the police headquarters in Umuahia.
Ezike said that the police were not in for a witch-hunt but wanted to rule out the possibility of foul play in the death of the young man.
“You talked about CCTV footage. The footage did not show when the boy entered the pool. It only showed his body in the pool.
“We are looking at negligent act; we are looking at the willful act. Willful acts are different from negligent acts but all or part can form the ingredients of a crime.
“So it is just the process of investigation that is going on. The matter is not an Aba matter because it involved homicide.
“When somebody has died, it elevates the discourse to a different level of investigation. We are not out to witch hunt anybody but in search of the truth,” Ezike said.
