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Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has ordered the arrest of a police operative for allegedly killing a 23-year-old man, Onyekachi Moses, in Calabar.
The Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.
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The killing
According to the family’s petition to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 6, Calabar, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Moses had gone to a private residence of Governor Otu at State Housing Estate in Calabar to preach on 18 July when he was allegedly shot at his left leg by a police operative attached to the estate.
With the help of the Red Cross Society, Mr Moses was taken to the naval hospital in the state capital for treatment.
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“He lost too much blood, wherein four pints of blood were donated to him, and another series of injections were administered to enable him to regain himself, but on 9 August, the young man battled and died, all to the omissions and commissions of the police officers attached to the residence of the governor,” the petition, signed by two lawyers on behalf of the family, states.
The petitioner is asking the AIG to investigate the gruesome murder of the young man.
The Zone 6 police spokesperson, Osupe Jefferson, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the petition has been received and that an investigation has commenced.
He also informed our reporter that he had confirmed with the commissioner of police in Cross River, who told him that the operative has been detained at the governor’s instruction.
He said the operative works for the Police Command in the state, and not Zone 6.
‘Brazen act of lawlessness’
In the statement, Governor Otu described the action of the police operative as a “brazen act of lawlessness and abuse of authority.”
The information commissioner, Mr Ekpang, said the governor asked the police to thoroughly investigate the incident, stressing that “Impunity has no sanctuary under this administration.”
While condoling and assuring the bereaved family that justice would be done, Governor Otu urged the citizens to remain calm and law-abiding.
“We urge our people to remain peaceful and confident in our collective resolve to seek truth and enforce justice,” the statement said.
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Victim assaulted operative – police
In addition to the state government’s statement on the matter, Mr Ekpang forwarded to our reporter a police statement on the incident.
In the statement, the police described the victim as an “intruder”, and said that he constituted himself as a nuisance by pretending to be deaf, dumb, and insane.
“His mission to the location was suspicious. When confronted by the police officer several times to leave the place, he resisted violently by throwing heavy stones at the operative and other civilian security men.
“All efforts to bring him under control proved abortive as he became more and more violent. Left with no alternative, the operative aimed and shot at his left leg to maim him and be able to tame his violence,” the statement said.
The statement said the victim was responding to treatment until he died on 9 August and that his corpse had been deposited for preservation and post-mortem examination in the Naval Hospital.
“Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Calabar,” the statement added.
Irene Ugbo, the police spokesperson in Cross River, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking her comment.
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