Police allegedly beat 40 year-old man to death for Rivers, im broda narrate wetin happun

Family of one 40-year-old truck driver, Cosmos Ozioko, dey demand justice for im death after some policemen allegedly brutalise am so tey e later die for Elele, Emohua local goment area of Rivers State.

Im brother, Kingsley Ozioko wey witness di incident tell BBC Pidgin say na on Sunday evening, 11 December 2022 e happen wen di policemen wey bin dey on stop-and-search duty, stop di two of dem ontop motorcycle, aka okada, while dem bin dey return to dia workplace around 7:40pm dat Sunday.

Police confam say di arrest of di policeman.

Kingsley say di policemen allegedely search dem reach dia private part and in di process, im brother phone come fall scatter, so e tell dem to assemble di phone give am back dem no answer am.

“To avoid trouble, I pick and assemble di phone come tap my brother for us to leave.

As we dey comot, my brother come ask di okada rider wey bin dey wait if na so di policemen dey search evribodi.

Di next thing, two of di policemen rush am begin beat us, dey match us with dia boots and use di butts of dia guns to hit us. Dem order us to sidon for ground and ask wia we come from. We say Nsuka, Enugu State.

One of dem still dey beat my brother until im collapse.

Pipo bring pure water take pour am to revive am small. Im bin dey breathe, but weak.”

Kingsley say dem rush im brother to a nearby hospital, wia di nurse say dem no get oxygen, come refer dem to anoda private medical facility, Madona Hospital, Elele.

Na dia dem confam say im brother don die.

I want justice for my brother. Make dem arrest di policemen wey kill my brothe and charge am so that my brother spirit fit rest,” e tok.

Kingsley add say dem report di mata to di police at Elele.

‘We don arrest di policeman'

Tok tok pesin for Rivers Staye Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confam di incident come explain say na disagreement between one of di policemen and di victim. “Wetin happen be say a police inspector bin get disagreement with some passengers on a motorbike.

I no know if dem beat am, but one of di men lump and dem rush am to Madonna University Teaching Hospital for treatment.

Dem bin dey treat am but later a doctor confam am dead.

But di inspector dey arrested and detained and we don transfer di mata to di State Criminal Investigation Department SCIID for discreet investigation.” she tok.

A similar case of alleged police brutality for Port Harcourt lead to di death of one motor mechanic, Chima Ikwunado for Port Harcourt for 2020 and di alleged torture of four of im friends, di Ikoku four.

Police authorities don sack di policemen wey dey involved and dem dey face trial for di Rivers State High Court.

Sake of reports of police brutality, Nigerian Youths bin do ENDSARS protests across di kontri wey result to di disbandment of a special police unit SARS.

Many State Goments bin set up special commission of Enquiry to choose eye into di many complaints wey citizens get and di panel submit dia resolution and recommendations, but many of dem wey report dia mata for di panels never still get any answer.