An aged, visually impaired man, Mr. Barnabas Ehirim, has petitioned the Abia State Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality Extra Judicial Killings And Other Related Matters, alleging that the police killed his only son.
Mr. Ehirim, brought the petition through his Counsel, Ogbonna O. Ekezie.
In the petition, it was stated that men from the Abia state police command Aba, shot dead late Chrystantus Chidike, on his way back from work.
In his witness, Mr Ehirim said;
My late son worked with First bank, Port Harcourt road, Aba before his death. On October, 21, 2020, he was shot by the police as he was coming back from work.
“My son was the one taking care of me, now that he is dead I have no other help except neighbors who help me sometimes”
According to the witness who was an electrician before he developed eye problem, he received a phone call on the said day, from his late son’s phone where he was informed of the incident.
He said; ” I got a phone call from an unknown person. The person used my son’s phone to call me. He asked me if I know the owner of the phone, I said yes, he is my son. He then told me that my son has been shot by the police.
” I rushed immediately to the scene, and found my son lying dead. We took him to the hospital where the doctor confirmed him dead”.
The petitioner, through his counsel, brought to the panel, as evidence; pictures from the deceased’s burial , and a death certificate from the hospital linking his cause of death to gunshot injury.
During cross examination, the respondent’s counsel, Augustine Udo, asked the witness if he saw the Policemen whom he alleged, shot his son. The witness said he didn’t see the policemen at the scene but was informed by witnesses at the scene.
On why he didn’t report the matter to any police station, the witness said he saw it as a risk, he therefore didn’t make an official report.
Mr Ehirim in tears, pleaded for a compensation of N100million.
In his defense, Udo Augustine suggested that the witness approached the witness on hearing that the panel awards cash compensation.
Responding, the petitioner affirmed that he wants a cash compensation but can forgo the matter if his son is brought back to life.
The counsel representing the petitioner, sought for a date to present as witness, the medical doctor who certified late Chrystantus dead.
The respondent’s counsel pleaded the court to mandate his learned friend to mention to the panel, the name of his proposed witness.
The sitting judge Justice SN Imo, refused the plea, inquiring if the police intends to bribe or harass the prospective witness.
The matter was adjourned to March 31, for further hearing.
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