A statement signed by Dr Isi Ataga on behalf of the family reads:
THE GRUESOME MURDER OF OUR BELOVED SON-MICHAEL USIFO ATAGA
Here are the facts. A little over a week ago, unknown persons savagely killed our beloved son, Usifo Ataga. With no regard for him, or his family, who love him, they viciously ended his life.
His children will grow up to read unkind, thoughtless words from thousands of people who have joined the lynching party in the press and the blogosphere. Our aging parents must now struggle to pick up the pieces amid a cacophony of misinformation propagated by strangers.
A suspect has been arrested and paraded before the press. We, the Ataga Family, are grateful to the Nigerian Police for pursuing this investigation. However, like you, we have many unanswered questions. Some things don’t add up.
If you have any information, don’t hide behind online posts. Instead, come forward and share it with the Police.
Here’s what we do know. The more you add to the false information in the press and on social media, the harder it is for the Nigerian Police to do their work and fully solve this case. The harder it is for a grieving family to recover from the loss of their beloved son.
We ask, sincerely, that you let us grieve this terrible loss with some privacy. This past week and a half has been the worst period of our lives.
