The police officers accused of shooting dead a motorist, Anthony Obodo, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, will be dismissed and prosecuted, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Adepoju, has vowed.
Mr Adepoju made the promise while addressing a crowd protesting the killing. He insisted that the police would not shield officers found responsible for the death.
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“No police officer is told to go and kill anybody’s child. And everybody has to own the responsibility for what they have done. The police will never cover anybody. Since that day, they’ve been arrested and handcuffed,” he said.
“I’ve been talking to the father. I spoke with the father three minutes ago. All those police officers have been detained. I am to have an interview with them by 2 p.m.
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“In a crowd like this, anybody can say what they like. Somebody had been killed. There has to be justice.
“They (officers) will be dismissed and charged to court,” the commissioner said in a video shared on Facebook by Channels Television.
How Obodo was killed
Mr Obodo was allegedly shot by police officers on 29 August along Agip by Ada-George Road in Port Harcourt while driving a Lexus car.
According to his family, police officers chased him and shot him at close range.
His sister alleged that after the shooting, the officers pulled him from the vehicle, removed his gold chain and rings, abandoned him on the roadside in the rain and drove away in his car.
A passerby later found Mr Obodo bleeding and rushed him to a hospital, where he died shortly afterwards, according to the family.
The police have detained the officers involved in the incident for investigation.
In an earlier statement, the police said the alleged shooting followed an altercation between Mr Obodo and a police officer. It said the officer, identified as Alfred Louis, a corporal, was subsequently beaten and injured by an angry mob.
The command described the alleged shooting as “totally condemnable” and said it did not represent professional policing.
‘He will be charged with murder’
Mr Adepoju, explaining why the officer accused of the shooting was not brought before the protesting crowd, said the suspect had already been severely beaten.
“Already, the man (police operative) had been beaten to stupor. But with that, I still arrested him with his injuries and everything. If I bring him here, they will kill him, and you’ll be charged for murder, and it will be counter-productive,” he said.
Amnesty demands independent investigation
Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the killing, describing the “reckless resort of the police to deadly force” as a human rights violation.
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In a statement dated 1 September and posted on Facebook, the organisation said it was unacceptable that Nigerian police officers continued to operate with impunity despite repeated government pledges to reform the force and end torture and extrajudicial killings.
Amnesty said the authorities must ensure that Mr Obodo’s death is effectively and impartially investigated and that anyone found responsible is brought to justice.
The organisation said the lack of accountability continued to breed and perpetuate impunity, creating an environment in which police officers could believe they had carte blanche to commit abuses.
It also said the police should not be allowed to investigate themselves, arguing that an independent investigation was necessary to ensure justice.
The organisation further urged that suspected police officers be prosecuted in public trials if found culpable.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Rivers State Police Command had detained the police officer and other officers allegedly involved in the shooting, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding Mr Obodo’s death were ongoing.
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