The family of late Michael Usifo Ataga has issued a statement calling for an in-depth investigation of his murder and urged the police to go beyond the arrest of the suspect to get to the bottom of the case.

In a statement entitled “Libelous publications in respect of murder of Michael Usifo Ataga: Demand for restraint by social media practitioners/persons”, Rickey Tarfa & Co, solicitor to the family, on Saturday night, urged those behind the malicious social media publications to refrain from publishing falsehood that impinges negatively on the integrity of the deceased, wife and children or face lawsuits.

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The statement signed by Olusegun Jolaawo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on behalf of the law firm, urged Nigerians to allow the police to conduct its investigations without any distraction or interference.

“We, hereby, admonish the publishers of these stories to employ whatever shreds of decency and decorum they can find in themselves to desist from their false and misleading stories and let the investigating authorities carry out effective investigation in the hope of apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime and their accomplices.

Yes, we know that Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu has been arrested and, yes, we know that investigation is continuing. Our client is, however, convinced that there is much more to this than is already apparent from the police investigation,” Jolaawo said in the statement.