The Senate on Tuesday indicted the Nigeria Police Force for the extrajudicial killing of a final year student of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Chinedu Obi.
The late obi was arrested on July 19, 2019, after a disagreement with a phone seller, who accused him of assaulting her.
He died in a controversial circumstance in the custody of the police, who denied him access to his family and medicare.
According to a petition to the Senate by the lawyer to the family, Omemiroro Ogedegbe, the deceased had gone on a visit to a friend at Otta, Ogun State where he met his untimely death.
While testifying before the Senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petition, Ogedegbe said the deceased did not resist arrest contrary to a claim by the police.
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The deputy commissioner of police, Ogbadu Aliyu, in his presentation had claimed that the deceased was arrested, detained, and later granted bail.
“After his release, he went back to the woman and started beating her and even tried to throw her down from a story building,” Aliyu alleged.
The police officer further alleged that the deceased when rearrested, became violent and tried to demobilise an officer, who shot him on his buttock instead of one of his legs that he aimed.
But Ogedegbe countered the presentation, saying the deceased was shot from behind on the right buttock, “which means that it was not the officer he was alleged to be pursuing that turned around and shot him from behind.
“That all entreaties by the deceased who was in the pool of his own blood to speak to his father, were rebuffed by the officers of the NPF, who allowed him to die before taking him to Otta General Hospital.
“That the men of the police lied as to the deceased neither committed a capital offence, resisted arrest, nor was he armed at the point of his arrest.”
In the report presented to the plenary, Chairman of the Senate committee, Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central) observed that the offence of assault alleged by the phone seller was not a capital offence and should not have led to the suspect being handcuffed.
“That the men of the NPF did not handle the matter professionally and therefore, the force is culpable over the death of Obi.”
The Senate condemned the unprofessional manner the police handled the civil matter between the phone seller and Obi.
The plenary, presided over by deputy Senate president, Ovie Omo-agege, urged the police to fish out the police officer who shot the deceased, for prosecution, according to the laws of the land.
The Senate directed the police to liaise with the family of late Obi and assist the family foot the bills of his burial.
The Senate also mandated the NPF to pay N10 million as compensation to the family of the deceased to mitigate the pains of his untimely death.
