Nigerian man killed in India, Simeon Obodo, buried in his hometown

The 35-year old Nigerian who was killed in Gao, India, on October 30, Simeon Obodo, has been buried in his hometown in Obogwe-Umunwaku community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo.

A representative of the family, Ejike Esinkoye, disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday.

Mr. Esinkoye, who said the funeral service of Mr. Obodo took place on Monday at St Paul’s Catholic parish Obogwe-Umunwaku, expressed dismay that the Federal Government did not send any official delegation to the burial.


He also said that the family had yet to receive any compensation or assistance from the India government.

The murder of the Nigerian during a violent clash in Goa village, India, sparked a diplomatic row between both countries.
Around 200 Nigerians in India protested Mr. Obodo’s murder by blockinga national highway and clashing with locals and police in the area.
Fifty-three of the protesting Nigerians were arrested and later released, after paying fees to secure their release.

The Director, Consular and Immigration Services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdulazeez Dankano, had on December 16, said that the diplomatic rift between both countries that Mr. Obodo’s murder caused was now “under control”.

Mr. Dankano was part of a Federal Government delegation that visited New Delhi in early December to conclude negotiations on three agreements affecting the welfare of Nigerians in that country.
He said the Indian government had made some arrests in connection with Mr. Obodo’s murder but did not say whether the suspects had been charged.

Born on Nov. 1, 1977, Mr. Obodo attended Umunwaku Primary school in Ohaji/Egbema and Umunwaku Secondary School from 1992 to 1998.
According to a biography published by the family, Mr. Obodo worked and lived in Port Harcourt before travelling to Liberia in 2009.

Mr. Obodo, who left Nigeria for India on January 9 before his unfortunate death on November 30, few days to his 36th birthday, is survived by an aged mother, daughter and wife.