The Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI), a political pressure group, has accused officers of the Nigeria Police of extra-judicial killing of six Edo-Ijaw youths on October 8, 2019.
Mr. Ozobo Austin, IPDI President and Mayor Timi Ogobiri, Acting Spokesman, in a statement made available to THE NEXT EDITION in Lagos on Tuesday, said the group received a distress call from its Edo-Ijaw brothers on October 8 alleging that seven law abiding Ijaw youths were allegedly murdered.
They said they were framed up and murdered in extra-judicial manner by police officers attached to State CID with unsubstantiated, unfounded and baseless allegations of plotting to abduct someone in the state.
According to the statement, “We were told that the youths were picked by Mr. Balogun , O.C Anti- Kidnapping Squad, in their houses when they were asleep. They were arrested with no arm and any form of resistance.
“They made their statements and were detained in State CID at Edo State Force Headquarters, and after some days in police detention, six Ijaw youths, Mr. Okoh Omus, Yeke None Agbefun and Hope Tortor Uroupa and three others, were brought out from the police cell and were given extra-judicial murder by the squad led by Mr. Balogun. And the next day, one Lawani, the seventh person, was granted bail with the sum of N500,000.
“This case is different from the alleged shoot-out between police and suspected kidnappers in the state. None of these seven persons engaged any shoot-out with the police as they were arrested based on unfounded intelligence report from their homes.
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“This is a gross misconduct. No police officer has the right to kill any suspect under detention, except ordered by a competent court of law. They were killed on mere speculations and suspicion, no trial and conviction. This is a jungle justice.
“Nigeria has been turned to banana republic. It is a pity that police under the current IGP has become lawless and blood sucking. We demand for justice. The Commissioner of Police, Edo State, and the said squad led by Mr. Balogun, must give account of the death of the said six Ijaw youths without further delay.”
IPDI said it was appalling that the police had become the court to order for summarily execution of suspects under its facilities, exercising a power that the police did not have, lamenting that the slain youths were mere suspects, who had freedom of fair hearing, stressing that their right to life had been violated.
“They were killed without trial.This is unlawful and a sheer murder. We are aware of the script the police in Benin are playing, but we are not perturbed because the end shall justify the means. If they have actually committed crime, they would have been charged and tried.
“The law made it clear, killing suspects after obtaining statements is a punishable (offence) by law. Those police officers must face the music.
“We are disappointed by the action of the police in Edo State, as the killing smacks a display of hatred for the Ijaws in the state, some Benin youths threatened Ijaws in an online video parading with Ak-47 rifles but none of those guys has been arrested tilll now.
“This shows that the police have already taken sides with the Benins against Ijaws in the state. The Benins are now hiding under the police to be killing the Ijaws. This shows that the ethnic war between the Benins and Ijaws has started already.
“This is an ethnic cleansing agenda. Nigeria police have now been contracted to kill all aboriginal Ijaws in Edo State. This is unacceptable as we will not fold our hands over this sheer murder. We are sending a formal petition to IGP as well within the coming days.
“Therefore, we call on the Inspector General of Police to investigate and bring to justice the Commissioner of Police, Edo State, and the police officers led by Mr. Balogun in the State CID for the extermination of thesix Ijaw youths within seven days in the interest of peace in the state,” IPDI stated.
