Petitioner Seeks Panel’s Order To Compel Police Release Corpse Seized By It Since 2004

A Complainant before the Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violation by the Defunct SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police Force, Mr. Charles Ogu has prayed the panel to compel the police to release his Brother-in-law’s corpse, Chibuikem Nkaru, killed extrajudicial in a clash between police and members of MASSOB.

Testifying before the panel, Mr. Ogu narrated how it all happened in March 2004 when the victim Chibuikem, a trader was travelling from Onitsha in Anambra state to Okigwe in Imo state.

On reaching Okigwe, he (now deceased) boarded another vehicle going to Owerri and on the way according to him they ran into a chaotic scene involving the police in the convoy of the Governor, shooting at some suspected Members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra.

The incident, he noted, compelled the driver to stop and all the passengers ran out of the vehicle in different direction to seek for safety including the said chibukem who took cover at a nearby shop.

Narrating further, Ogu stated Chibukem was heard shouting “My head my head “he was said to be hit by a stray bullet from the men of the Nigerian police, furthermore the victim kept screaming “I am not a member of MASSOB but a trader from Ndianiche the son of Mazi Emeka Nkaru”.

However, according to Mr. Charles police on the convoy came and carried him to their waiting van, and when he could not be stop from shouting and crying for pain, he was shot on the chest and he died.

Meanwhile, the complainant told the panel that some eye witnesses at the scene of the incident, having heard and seen what transpired traced the parents of the victim to their town and informed them of the death of their son.

Moreover, the Father of the deceased Mazi Nkaru followed the informants to the scene of the son’s death, thereafter he visited several police stations looking for the body of his son and later located the corpse at the Federal Medical Centre Owerri Mortuary and immediately requested the corpse which was denied them till date.

Hence Mazi Emeka, his wife and family members tried all they could to secure the corpse of late Chibukem but to no avail and they later died out of frustration and shock

A second witness in the matter Mr. Samuel Oyinkalu corroborated the testimony of the complainant. He narrated how he travelled to Owerri severally in the company of his father now late and other family members to retrieve the corpse but all plea to the police fail on deaf ears.

In his remarks Dr Garba Tetengi SAN while responding to the petition has stated that unfortunately the police is not here to cross examine the complainant “and we have to give them the opportunity to do so” he stated.

The matter is adjourned to 8 of March 2022 for cross examination.