News

Police Brutality: “I Have Not Seen My Son Since 2011”, Father Of Deceased Tells Panel

Published

3 years ago

November 5, 2020

… Another Narrates How Police Brutality Left Him Deaf

The Edo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for victims of human rights abuse by men of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, yesterday, began hearing on petitions with an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Isaac Edoh, who is yet to know the state of his son, whether dead or alive.

As of November 5, the panel has received 24 petitions.

Isaac, who is from Benue State said the last time he saw his son, Baba Edoh, was inside a custody of the Edo State Police command in 2011.

Narrating his story to the panel in Benin City, the Benue-born said his son was an undergraduate of English Literature, Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto before he was allegedly killed by the police.

The father of the deceased said in June 2011, he received an anonymous call from the State Criminal Investigation Department of Edo State Police command that his son was arrested along Auchi road for alleged kidnapping.

Isaac said he immediately took permission from his superior at the office and rushed from Lagos to Benin to see his son but saw him lying in his pool of blood obviously from physical assault and inhuman treatment melted on him.

“I tried speaking with him but was prevented by officers on duties despite knowledge of the relationship between me and the suspect in their custody,” he said.

The Custom officer said the following day he visited the station and discovered that the name of his son was not on any of the records of the detainees in the cell.

“I immediately contacted the officer-in-charge of kidnapping section who informed that my son was not in their custody. I was informed that he was one of the suspects paraded in a national television on June 4, 2011.

“I was told armed robbers attacked and shot my son while the police was conducting further investigations in Auchi. None of the Police officers sustained injuries. The only person they said died was my son. Since his death, the police have refused to release the corps.

“I later filed a suit in the high court for fundamental rights, and got judgement but unfortunately the police appealed the case on the basis of identity conflict. The court of appeal urged us to return to the high court for retrial. Since then I have been demoralised, and don’t know whether he is alive or dead; all I want is justice,” he said.

The chairman of the panel, Justice Ada Ehigiamusoe (Rtd), admitted a photograph of the son, Compact Disk(CD) of paraded suspects, and court proceedings as exhibits.

The Justice adjourned hearing on the case to Thursday, November 17, so as to get response from the police officers.

In a related development, another victim of human rights abuse, Sunday Akpan told the panel that he was smacked repeatedly on his ear by a police officer for allegedly selling his wife’s refrigerator and shop to pay debt.

Speaking to journalists through his counsel, Festus Obijeko, said the victim is facing hearing difficulties due to the assault he received from the officer.

He added that his client’s condition has made it difficult to fend for his family.

“He was told that the said officer died in the line of duty and that the command will get back to him, that was sometime February this year. Since that time till this moment, they have not gotten back to him.

“In a civil domestic matter has broken the marriage and as I am talking with you now, himself and his wife are not together again, the children are not in school, the children are not well fed, that psychological coverage that family should offer to his children has been missing”, he said.

The chairman of the panel, Justice Ada Ehigiamusoe (Rtd) assured the victims of police brutality that the panel would be balanced and thorough in their job and would not rely on the account of one party to make their judgement but would also invite the police to give their own side of the story.

Justice Ehigiamusoe said the panel is not to indict anyone but could only make recommendations to the government on how the victims of police brutality could be compensated at the end.

News

JUST IN: Senator Ayogu Eze Is Dead

Published

45 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

A former Senator who represented Enugu North Senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Ayogu Eze is dead.

A reliable source told Vanguard that Eze who was in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2015 died on Thursday in an Abuja hospital at the age of 66 after suffering from a protracted illness.

For the 8 years he spent in the Senate, Eze served as Committee Chairman on Information and Media during the first four years and after his reelection to the senate in 2011, was appointed chairman committee on works.

Eze also served as a member of committees on Police Affairs, National Planning, Marine Transport and Federal Character & Inter-Government Affairs and also member of the Constitution Drafting and Amendment Committee that made some novel changes to Nigeria’s 1999 constitution.

A youth leader from his community, Umuiyda autonomous community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, Ikechukwu Eze who confirmed it, said he can’t talk now because they are in shock over the sad news.

He said the death of Senator Eze was a big loss to the zone and Nigeria in general.

“We heard the sad news. We are mourning him now. His death is a loss to us, the state and Nigeria,” he said.

Sen. Eze, born 23 November 1958, was elected Senator for the Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State, Nigeria, taking office on June 5, 2007.

News

Edo: FRSC Threatens Sanction On Truck Drivers Loading Goods, Passengers Together

Published

57 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), has threatened to clamp down on truck drivers who carry loads and passengers together.

The Edo State FRSC Sector Commander, Paul Okpe, disclosed this during a sensitizion of the National Union of Road Transport Worker (NURTW), Aduwawa Truck Drivers chapter, on the need to stop the carrying goods and passengers together.

Okpe, while warning the truck drivers to desist from the act, said the sensitization was to engage the leadership of the truck drivers union on how to drive on the highway, imbibe safety culture, and stop using truck to carrying load and passengers.

“We are going to go round other locations of the union in the state to also sensitise them. It is not a good practice and when an accident happens, most of the passengers always die, and we want to reduce accidents on the road,” he said.

He added: “We are happy that the drivers are keying into the exercise, assured us of their support. They have also given us good advice especially stopping the loading of passengers and goods from the north.”

According to him, after sensitisation, the corp will commence enforcement on erring drivers.

He noted: “With the assurance they gave us we are sure that the menace would be eradicated.

“We are using public enlightenment and enforcement to curb this menace.This campaign, launched by the Corp Marshal, Alhaji Dauda Biu is ongoing across the country” he said .

He, however, called on the drivers to imbibe road safety culture and refrain from carrying animals and passengers, saying it is not a good practice

On his party, the Chairman, NURTW Heavy Truck Drivers, Aduwawa branch, Alhaji Badamasi Muhammed, commended the FRSC for the sensitization and assured them of total support.

“This issue has been worrying us, but we are not a government that can stop it, but now thayt government is interested, it is going to stop. And they should stop it from the north where they are loading goods and passengers.

“So, we will join the FRSC and talk to our driver to ensure that loading of goods and people together is not good and should be stopped. Last time, about 50 people died when a truck conveying cows and human beings had an accident,” he said.

News

How Flight Engineer Saved Us From Disaster — Ex-DG, Bureau of Public Service Reforms

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

A former Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, has narrated how a ground engineer saved travellers on an Ibom Airlines flight from a “potential disaster”.

Narrating the experience on his X handle on Thursday, Abah said he boarded a 7 am flight from Lagos to Abuja on Thursday morning and the flight was ready to take off when the unusual happened.

The popular public commentator explained that he was on the flight heading to Abuja with the co-founder and Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde when they heard a loud knock on the aircraft door.

He wrote, “I boarded a 7 am @ibomairlines flight in Lagos this morning, heading to Abuja. My brother @seunonigbinde was on the same flight and we had chatted briefly about work. The aircraft door was shut, phones switched off, and ready for takeoff.

“As we were about to start taxiing, there was a loud knock on the aircraft door from outside. We all wondered what it could be. The knocking got more persistent. The attendant had to open the door again.

“As she did, a ground engineer came in and those of us in front clearly heard him say “You can’t go. Your landing gear is bad.”

“The pilot made a ‘political’ announcement that they needed to perform some additional checks before take-off and apologised for the delay. He spoke with the engineer and, a few seconds later, announced that we were to disembark.

“I thank God that we have the systems in place to check this and avert potential disaster. And that we have some diligent Nigerians who take their work seriously.

“If you are that young Nigerian engineer, God will bless you abundantly.”

He also urged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency to help him identify the engineer for him to personally thank their ‘saviour’.

Speaking with our correspondent on Thursday morning, the Ibom Airlines spokesperson, Annie Essienette, confirmed the development.

She said, “It is a technical thing. We were about to take off and someone called that the gear was faulty. So, the next thing to do was to disembark the passengers.

“We are working on rescheduling the flight to accommodate the passengers so the faulty gear could be repaired accordingly and that is what we are doing.”

On Wednesday, the Federal Government suspended Dana Airline operations due to concerns surrounding safety.

This is coming after an aircraft belonging to the airline, with registration number 5N BKI, skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday morning.

The aircraft, which flew from Abuja to Lagos, skidded off the runway in an attempt to land.

However, no casualty was recorded.

However, the Ministry of Aviation, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, suspended the airline’s operations in the country until a comprehensive audit is conducted.