Police refuse to release my brother’s corpse, man tells Lagos panel

Felix Lucky, a driver, who resides at Jakande Estate, Lekki, has told the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry how a police officer in Ilasan Police Division, Jakande Estate, allegedy shot his brother and took his body away after being shot.

Narrating the incident to the panel on Friday, Mr Lucky said his younger brother, Paul Lucky, was also a driver and worked as a security personnel in Jakande Estate.

He worked both jobs; driving between 8am to 4pm and working security between 7:30pm and 4am.

Mr Lucky told the panel that on April 2, his younger brother came home with injuries around his neck allegedly inflicted on him by a sergeant of the Ilasan Police Division, identified as John Dagbo.

“He said around 2 a.m., while doing his vigilante work in the estate, they saw a man riding a bicycle. They shined their torchlight to stop the person and later saw that he was a police officer.”

He further narrated that Mr Dagbo, the police officer, was not wearing a police uniform and asked why they flashed the torchlight at him.

“From there, an argument occurred where my brother was wounded on his neck, and his clothes torn. The officer also seized his torchlight and cutlass he was using,” he said.

Mr Lucky said he went to the station to see the officer and inquire about what transpired, but the officer told him; “that your stubborn brother, I go kill am one day.”

He added that the officer emphasised that he should warn his brother because he would kill him one day. He returned the torchlight but kept the cutlass.

“On October 20, I was in my house at Jakande Estate, a friend of mine called me that John has shot my brother.

“He was shot along the street and there was a crowd. After shooting him, he was dragged to the police station,” he said.

October 20 was the same day the Lagos State government declared a 24-hour curfew following the unrest and violence that trailed the #EndSARS protests. It was also the day the Lekki shooting incident occurred.

Mr Lucky said on the day his brother was shot, there was unrest at Jakande Estate because the police were shooting.

He added that the people at the scene told him that his brother was still alive, talking and even gave his phone to someone before he was taken away.

Mr Lucky said on the day of the shooting, they could not access the police station due to the unrest in the neighbourhood as people were running helter skelter.

He said after the unrest, they got to the police station to ask for his brother but the police chased them away. He went there with his brothers, the CDA chairman in the estate, and CDA members, but they were all chased away by officers, he said.

“We went there on three occasions but they did not allow us in. Sergeant John said on one of the days that if I cross a particular place, he’ll put me down (shoot me).”

He said he doesn’t know where his brother’s corpse is till date.

He requested that the panel holds John Dagbo responsible and compel him to provide his brother’s corpse for burial. He also requested compensation for the family.