DNA Evidence as an Investigative Tool: The Nigerian Murder Case

The body of a deceased individual was discovered in an office at the Shell Petroleum Development Company headquarters in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Cletus Onyekwele, a staff member at a sub-contracting firm, was discovered laying in a pool of blood in his office on April 13^th 2017 at around 11:45pm, having suffered serious head injuries.

A total of fifty suspects, comprising of both contract and security staff at Shell, were taken in for questioning and later released on bail pending further investigation.

Scientists at Forensic Access travelled to Nigeria to review the scene, assist with the blood pattern analysis, and try to determine what we believed may have happened.

We also directed sampling from both the scene and the deceased, which included fingernail scraping and various samples from around the scene.

The samples taken from the left hand of the deceased were the ones that proved to be the crucial piece of evidence in this case. We obtained DNA in these samples from both the deceased and an unknown individual.

When reference DNA samples were provided by all of the fifty Shell and contract employees at the site, one of them was highlighted as a potential contributor.

This individual was Kingsley Nwankor, and when it was put to him by the police that his DNA had been identified under the fingernails of the deceased he instantly confessed to the offence. In his confession, Nwankor also implicated another male assailant, Joseph Francis.

The Rivers State Police Commissioner, Zaki Ahmed, pointed out that this case “highlights the importance of the use of forensic tools in criminal investigation.”

Forensic DNA Expertise

Forensic Access provides unrivalled expertise built up through decades of work both within forensic service providers working predominantly for the prosecution and also in delivering forensic services to defence teams.

This expertise can be employed on your behalf to bring a new understanding of the scientific findings in your client’s case, highlighting both the strengths and the limitations of biological evidence, so you are able to tailor your case strategy with a firm understanding of the challenges and opportunities before you.

We boast a world-class team of forensic scientists operating in bespoke facilities. All forensic work is carried out to the highest Quality Standards, which is especially important when working with DNA evidence.

All defence work is handled by dedicated Casework Managers who provide end-to-end support and streamlining. Direct access to our team of scientists helps barristers and solicitors to prepare a more effective defence strategy, and all expert witness reports are thoroughly documented and peer reviewed.

To find out more about the forensic services we provide, Tel: 01235 605794 to speak with a member of our team or fill-in our online contact form.