‘Police Should Pay Us N50m Compensation For Our Slain Brother’

‘Police should pay Us for our Slain brother’; is the outcry on the lips of family members of an alleged victim of police brutality.

And they have brought the outcry before the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry currently siting at the state capital.

Aside N50m Compensation, the family also demands the commission, to prevail on the Nigeria Police to release the corpse of the victim, Godstime Akugbo, to enable members of the family give him a befitting burial.

The Eagle recalls that Akugbo was arrested by the men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police on October 27, 2020, for alleged possession of Indian Hemp.

Making the position of the Godstime’s family known on the case, the elder brother of Late Godstime,  Michael Akugbo, said the police should pay the family a N50million compensation for the death of their son.

 “We want the Panel to help compel the Nigeria Police to release my brother’s corpse to us. We also want the perpetrators of the heinous crime against my brother to be brought to justice. Also, we want the Nigeria Police to pay us compensation of N50 million”, Michael said.

He equally demanded for the release of the corpse.

All these were fallouts of the sitting of the commission, set up by Governor Nyesom Wike, to probe into alleged acts of violence, torture, brutality, murder and violation of fundamental rights of citizens committed by officers, men and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in the state.

Recall that in the wake of the social upheaval which engulfed the country recently, a lot of losses in human lives and materials were recorded.

It was intended to be a peaceful protest against police brutality but was successfully hijacked by hoodlums leading to wastage of lives and destruction of property.

Efforts at different levels of government have led, to amongst others, the setting up of commissions of enquiry, to find ways of compensating losses suffered in the course of the protests.

In the case of the Rivers, there is a seven-man panel, chaired by retired High Court Judge, Justice Chukwunenye Uriri, which held it inaugural sitting on November 24, 2020,

It is supposed to conclude public sitting on December 30, 2020, but indications are that the commission would need date extension to do justice to its brief.

Alluding to the possible extension in date, some reports cite the inability of the Inquiry to hear all the petitions brought before it within the initially approved period.

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 “From the look of things, the Panel cannot conclude public hearings on December 30, as earlier approved. There are still over 100 petitions that are yet to be attended to”, said a Sun report on the commission’s proceedings.