How 'End Sars' help my broda get justice afta dem kill am for 2017

“Na on Saturday June 26, 2017 e happun, wen my elder broda Emmanuel Ephraim come back from church.

My broda Emmanuel Ephraim just come back from church around 7pm in di evening, come step out, na im we begin hear gunshots around di neighbourhood, but we no know wetin dey happun”.

Around 10:00pm for night pipo come meet us for house say police don shoot my broda and we siddon for here."

Paul Ephraim tok as e narrate give BBC Pidgin how officer from di Anti -Robbery Squad (SARS) kill im elder broda for 2017 for Calabar, Cross River State, Southern Nigeria.

E tell BBC Pidgin say im broda wey be dia first son dey 35 years old wen SARS shoot am around dia house.

“My broda go church and im no come back, we hear gunshots around my neighbourhood for evening but we no know wetin dey happun, later neighbours come our house come tell us say police don shoot our broda, na dat time we come realise say true-true im neva come back from church.

Eyewitnesses say police shoot am e come fall for ground, dem come cari am out for dia van go Atakpa police station.

We rush go dia hoping say we go meet am alive but wen we reach dia dem tell us to come back di next morning, by early morning on Sunday wey be go back to di Atakpa police station we see him deadibodi for ground”

Paul say wen dem reach Atakpa police sation on Sunday morning, dem see Emmanuel deadibodi.

“Wen we go back to di Atakpa police station on Sunday morning around 6.30:00am to 7:00am na my broda deadibodi wey see for ground, police tell us say im be armed robber”

Wen we examine e lifeless bodi we see three gunshots, dem shoot am for chest, hand and leg and e also get cut for im hand.” E narrate.

We ask dem wetin happun? dem tell us say my broda na armed robber, say e open fire on dem, say as dem dey shoot am, im dey shoot dem back."

‘Search for answers’

Paul say di ansa wey police give dem no go down well for im bodi .

E still dey try to find answers sotay e meet di Cross River State commissioner of Police but police no release di deadibodi to dem easily.

“We write petition against di Police, but Commissioner tell us say make we write appeal sake of say di petition dey indict di police, if not dem no go release my broda deadibodi to us.

We get to change am to appeal so dat police go release my broda deadibodi, becos wen I insist on di petition , my papa wey dey 70 years dat time tok say say im no get time for all dis tins, make dem release im pikin deadibodi for am."

Paul add say im papa still dey alive, e be 75 years now but di death of Emmanuel still dey worry am.

“My broda death na big blow to our family, we neva get oursefs uptill now, my mama get Hypertension by force, from dia evri tin begin dey high for her health.

Till today, my mama neva forget my broda death sake of say na our first son, wey dey four, three boys and one girl, na me be second son. E explain.

Human Rights panel hear di mata

Nigeria goment on Wednesday, 14 September compensate a total of 74 victims and petitioners of police brutality for Abuja, di Nigeria capital.

One of di petitioners wey benefit from di compensation na di family of di late Emmanuel Ephraim.

Paul wey represent im family for di panel still get plenti tins to tok o. E say only im go one corner put all di tori wey dem tell am todega yet di tori No make sense, im come begin investigate di death of im elder broda.

“Wen I do my own investigation, I come find out say my broda no do anytin, becos eyewitness for community see as evritin happun , na dem tok say my broda just dey waka im own wen police come with dia van begin shoot, na from dia dem shoot am for chest, hand and leg”.

“I reason wetin community pipo tok and wetin police tok, di tin no balance for my bodi I come begin write petition to National Human Rights Commission”.

Paul say despite invite to di police, dem no gree show face, police even deny say no be dem, say na joint operations wit oda security agencies of di state goment na im kill Emmanuel.

“We even write to State Goment to produce di personnel wey shoot am but dem too no co-operate wit us.” Paul tok.

‘Thank God for End sars’

Di Ephraim family say if not for di End sars protests wey happun for 2020, im family for no get di opportunity to fight for justice.

“Thank God say End sars come wia Nigerians complain and protest about abuse of rights by di former Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and di federal goment come set up panels for victims to get justice.

So we use di opportunity put in our petition as di window of panel open for us.

Thank God say di panel listen to us, afta dem make plenti attempts to invite police but dem no still show face”.

Paul dey grateful say dem get justice even if di compensation no fit compare to im broda life.

“Thank God we don get justice, di compensation no dey enough for di young life wey SARS waste but at least e go give di family respite,” e tok.

E make us believe say hope dey, but make e also be lesson to di Human Rights and goment, make dem make sure say di rights of citizens no dey abused again.

Make dem no only compensate families, make dem punish di pipo wey do all dis bad bad tins and also di police oga dem wey dey protect di culprits.” E add.