Chinedu Obi, a younger brother of the 26-year-old allegedly shot dead by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force in Ogun State, has disclosed that the graduate of physics was a victim of extra-judicial killing by policemen in Sango – Ota, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area.
A one minute and 19-second video had gone viral showing the victim in his own pool of blood having been allegedly shot by policemen at Sango Police station. Some police officers were heard calling him names in the video and declined his request to speak to his father before he died.
The video had generated uproar on the social media, but the Ogun Police Command Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi told Daily Trust on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, that the victim was shot in the leg when he grabbed an axe and attempted to attack armed policemen.
The younger brother of the deceased, Udochukwu Obi told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the police used the “lies” as cover – up for the extra-judicial killing.
Udochukwu, 24, said the deceased, a graduate of Physics, University of Port Harcourt, had visited his friend in Sango when the incident occurred. According to him, Chinedu had gone to buy a phone when he had an altercation with some people and resulted into a case of alleged assault. He added that Chinedu had spent the night at the police station on July 18, released and re-arrested for the alleged offence.
Udochukwu challenged the police to provide video clip of where the deceased allegedly carried axe and attempted to attack armed policemen.
“He did not commit the offence. It’s absolute lie. He was handcuffed, but they said he broke the handcuff. Is it possible to break the handcuff? Please tell me, is it possible?
“They also claimed he carried an axe and was chasing armed policemen around. Where is the video? They provided the video of where he was said to have broken the windscreen of vehicles but they cannot provide the video of where he was carrying the axe and how he broke the handcuff,” he told Daily Trust.
Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the deceased was a cultist, who confessed to his membership of Eiye Confraternity. He added that the deceased was taken to the hospital for treatment but he died from the gunshot injury.
“He was arrested and brought to the police station. But he immediately went berserk, seized an axe and began to chase armed policemen around the station.
“In the process, he broke windscreen of all most 17 vehicles before he was demobilized. He was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital where he died,” Oyeyemi said.
