Odinkalu calls for review of footage of Nigerian ‘strangled’ in South Africa

Chidi Odinkalu

Former chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, has again called for the review of the video footage of a Nigerian woman said to have died of strangulation in a hotel in South Africa.

The deceased, Elizabeth Ndubuisi, died on June 13 at Kempton Park, Gauteng Province.

Ndubuisi was said to be the Deputy Director-General of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN). She was in South Africa to attend the conference of the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).

She was later found dead in her room at Emperor’s Palace Casino, Hotel and Convention Centre, Johannesburg.

Her death has sparked controversy on social media after a report dated June 27, 2019 and signed by the Director-General of the Department of Health, Republic of South Africa, stated that she died of “unnatural causes consistent with strangulation”.

Prof. Odinkalu and several other Nigerians have petitioned the Nigerian government through the chairman/chief executive officer of Nigerian Diaspora Commission, (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who promised to follow up on the case.

Friends and family members said on a website set up in her memory that she was murdered and even accused the South African government and the hotel management of not doing enough to bring her alleged killers to justice.

It was alleged that the hotel had failed to provide CCTV footage to the police which would assist in the investigation.

Tweeting on Saturday, Odinkalu renewed his call for review of the video footage of the victim’s hotel room.

“She traveled from #Nigeria to South Africa for the conference of the #Africa Insurance Organisation & ended up strangled in her hotel room at @EmperorsPalace. 26 days later, @nidcom_gov, the CCTV footage has still not been examined. #WhoKilledUjuNdubuisi,” Odinkalu said.