By Emma Okereh
A petitioner who lost a sin and a brother to the extra judicial killings perpetrated by operatives of the now defunct SARS, has arrested to the Abuja panel how his son and brother were killed and their vehicles, goods and money vanished into things air as the police have not returned them.
Mohammed John Omale has petitioned the Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations by the Defunct SARS And Other Units of the Nigerian Police Force, seeking mercy and compensation over the alleged extra-judicial killing of his son by the Police.
The petitioner told the panel that his son Bala John Omale and his brother Rilwan Orji who were allegedly killed by the police were the breadwinners of the family.
According to the petitioner who spoke through an interpreter and being led in witness by his counsel, E.N Dodo, he said, on 29th of November 2014 his son and his younger brother who were both businessmen were arrested by the operatives of SARS at Ugwlawo LGA of Kogi state upon their return from the market in the company of one Emmanuel Abalaka.
Testifying further, he narrated how an ‘Okada’man came to his house to inform him of the arrest of late Bala and Rilwan .He said he got to the police station only to be told that they were taken to Lokoja. Upon hearing that, the complainant said he travelled to Lokoja with the hope of seeing them. But on getting to the police station ,Lokoja, he was told by an ‘anonymous’ fellow that two boys were killed.
Narrating further, Mr. Omale told the panel how he went round Lokoja hospitals in search of the bodies and later found two bodies at the specialist hospital mortuary and identified them as those of his son and brother.
Meanwhile, the complainant also told the panel that the deceased vehicle and the goods they bought on that fateful day were still in the custody of the police.
In another, development,counsel to the complainant also led one Emmanuel Abalaka who was in the company of the deceased to give an account of what he knew about the incident.
According to Emmanuel, they were returning from the market and he and the deceased decided to relax at a joint when SARS operatives stormed the place and arrested them.
Continuing he said they dragged the deceased to their van and whisked them away and that he, Emmanuel followed from a distance but the shooting scared him and he decided to run to the deceased father to inform him of the incident.
In his defence counsel to the police, Fidelis Ogwobe told the panel that they will not be calling any witness as the officers in question were investigated, found culpable and thereafter dismissed from the service.
Defending the commissioner of police, Kogi state and the inspector general of police, Ogwobe stated that the defence is relying on the investigation report dated 2nd February 2016 which was tendered by the complainant and signed by DIG Kakwe C. Katso. Ogowbe told the panel that the report was referred to the kogi state commissioner of police and they were tried and dismissed from the force.
In his reaction,Justice Sulieman Galadima asked the police defence team to produce the report stating that the officers were indeed dismissed to enable the panel come to a logical conclusion in the matter.
