The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has demanded the protection of the mother of a 22-year-old boy allegedly shot dead by a police operative attached to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State.
This is contained in a petition to the state’s Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday.
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Enome Amatey, the chairperson, Cross River branch of the NBA, said in the petition that the victim’s mother, Victoria Mba and her family have faced intimidation and harassment in their quest for justice over the killing.
The lawyers also demanded a transparent investigation into the alleged killing and that the attempt to label the deceased as mentally ill without verifiable medical evidence must cease immediately.
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The bar said that the attempt undermined the integrity of the investigation and the dignity of the human person of the deceased.
According to the petition, the alleged extrajudicial killing of Moses Mba by a police operative erodes public trust in the Nigerian Police Force, and raises critical issues of accountability, transparency and justice.
“Furthermore, the reported attempt to stigmatise the deceased as mentally ill without credible evidence appears to be an affront to his dignity and an apparent effort to subvert the truth and exculpate the officers responsible from responsibility.
“So, we demand an immediate, comprehensive, thorough and transparent investigation into the death of the boy.
“This investigation must be conducted with the highest standards of professionalism and independence to ascertain the facts and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
“The investigation, as well as the findings of the investigation should be made public and in a timely manner to ensure transparency, accountability and restore public confidence in the Nigerian justice system and the Nigerian Police Force,” it stated.
‘Our interest in the case’
The NBA said it has taken an interest in the tragic incident because it is about the fundamental rights to life, dignity and fair treatment under the law, as enshrined in the constitution.
“The bar remains committed to its core mandate of upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights and ensuring justice, and is deeply troubled by the reported circumstances surrounding this incident.
“More worrisome is the fact that the Nigerian Police Force, which is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of Nigerians, is now found at the ugly end of the incident,” it said.
It would be recalled that the 22-year-old man was allegedly beaten and shot by a security aide attached to the residence of the Governor Otu on 1 August.
The boy was alleged to have visited the governor’s residence and requested to see him as he had a message from God to be delivered to him.
The victim’s mother explained that the boy died on 9 August at the Naval Reference Hospital in Calabar, following injuries sustained from the beating and gunshot.
“We (my husband and I) were away in Abia State when the incident occurred, and we got a call the same day upon arrival from an official of the Red Cross Society who rushed him to the hospital.
“Upon our arrival at the hospital, we sought to enquire from our son the event that led to the beating and subsequent shooting.
“According to him, he only requested to see the governor and that he had a message for him from God.
“I am not making any excuses for him; my son has always been in love with God’s work right from age 10, and he has been seeing things (revelations).
“We only pleaded with him to be done with his education before facing God’s work fully,” she explained.
Arrest of alleged shooter
The police said they have, on the governor’s directive, arrested and detained the operative who allegedly kill the man. The police commissioner, Mr Afegbua, said the police would conduct an autopsy to determine what killed the victim.
Governor Otu described the action of the police operative as a “brazen act of lawlessness and abuse of authority.”
“We urge our people to remain peaceful and confident in our collective resolve to seek truth and enforce justice,” the Cross River State Government said in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang.
Mr Ekpang had said that the victim was “not mentally balanced” and that the place he visited was not the governor’s current residence.
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