… As CSP Jogbo claims Obinna Jonah died in police clinic not detention facility
Finally, the Nigerian Police Force have confessed to the fact that Mr. Eric Ezela was arrested by the officers of the Intelligence Response Team in 2017 but later died in Ikeja General Hospital while receiving treatment.
While admitting before the Independent Investigative Panel on human rights violations by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other police units in Abuja, on Tuesday ASP Izuka Eguzoikbe said he fell sick twice in the course of investigating an allegation of kidnapping against him and was hospitalized before he passed on.
ASP Eguzoikbe, a principal member of the IRT, testified before the panel that Eric Ezeala was arrested following the confession by Evans the famous alleged notorious kidnapper.
The police alleged that Evans the self-confessed kidnapper stated that Eric was his accomplice in his notorious business of kidnapping.
Testifying before the Justice Suleiman Galadima retd led panel, ASP Eguzoikbe stated that Evans said Eric was not only his accomplice, he was also the second in command in their group.
According to him, “Evans gave out Eric’s phone number, which was forwarded to Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU) Force headquarters to track and locate the whereabouts of Eric.”
Following the lead of the OC Legal of the IRT, Barrister Blessing Ezeala, ASP Eguzoikbe informed the panel that the first tracking indicated that Eric was hiding out in Osun state but evaded the arrest.
Stating further, Eguzoibe said the second tracking which led the team to Ihime Mbanu in Imo state, resulted in the arrest of Eric on the 17th July 2017 at about 17.00 hours.
Continuing his narration, ASP Eguzoikbe, stated that Eric was brought down to the Imo state police command where he also confessed working with Evans and he was subsequently brought down to Abuja where both “Evans and Eric acknowledged one another as partners in the kidnapping business and he was detained in the IRT cell” he added.
ASP Eguzoikbe disclosed to the 11 man panel that in the course of the investigation Eric’s wife allegedly claim that she is not aware of her husband’s activities because he is hardly around. She claimed that she had always suspected his activities and had reported to his family members her suspicions about him.
ASP Eguzoikbe further stated that Eric was later taken to Lagos, in the process of taking them to where they store their arms and ammunition, he fell sick for the second time and later died at Ikeja General Hospital
.
“We felt very pained with the death of Eric Ezeala because we could not get all the information we needed about their activities and armoury in his possession” ASP Eguzoikbe concluded his testimony.
However, the panel asked if an autopsy was conducted on the deceased to ascertain the cause of death, but the ASP said the wife blatantly refuse to show up for the autopsy and there was no way the police was going to conduct the autopsy without the consent and presence of the family.
Under cross-examination, Counsel to the Ezeala family, Nonye Okpor asked the ASP whether he was aware that Hilda Ezeala, mother to the deceased visited Abuja on two occasions but she was denied access to her son.
While submitting copies of Eric Ezeala’s statement, statements from his wife, extract from crime diary and signal sent to the IRT Commander to the panel, one of the panellists John Aikpokpo-Martin asked whether the arrest was documented and incidented by IRT records.
And the ASP answered ‘yes’. He further added that a signal was sent to Commander IRT who authorise the arrest.
Meanwhile, Aikpokpo-Martins said, “It may interest you to know ASP Eguzoikbe that before today (Tuesday) there was no record of arrest and detention of the deceased”.
The matter has been adjourned for the panel’s report.
In another development, a police witness, CSP Adebayo Jogbo Jogbo told the IIP-SARS that Obinna Jonah died in the Police clinic at Garki Abuja and not in the police detention facility as alleged by the complainant, Okechukwu Jonah.
The witness, who made this testimony before the 11-Member panel chaired by Justice Suleiman Galadima (rtd), said that he was the second in command at the CID unit of anti-one-chance when the incident happened.
According to the police officer, at that time, people of the area were afraid of the activities of the cult group where Obinna belonged and they were accused of robbing people’s shops.
It was at that time, he noted that two informants Francis Okoye and Sweet Onwumeh petitioned the cult group over their excesses and the police had to go to the area to arrest them.
The CSP informed the panel that those who had wanted to come for the suspects changed their minds upon hearing that they were cultists who were robbing and disturbing public peace with arms.
He said that 14 suspects were arrested at different times in respect of the information the police received.
He said that the late Obinna was the armoury bearer and that he confessed to the crime and even led the police to where such arms were kept.
Meanwhile, Counsel to the complainants, E.C. Chukwu amended the petition to reflect three more respondents in the matter. The new respondents are CSP Adebayo, Corporal Abubakar Mohammed and Sgt Gambo Mohammed Gadzama.
It will be recalled that Men of the Jabi Massalaci Police station in Abuja were ordered by the Independent Investigative Panel sitting in Abuja to produce officers of its One Chance Unit over alleged complicity in the extra-judicial killing of Obinna Jonah on February 1, 2020.
In his testimony, Okechukwu narrated how members of his family have searched for Obinna at different police stations in Abuja, but were told there is no record of his arrest or detention.
Counsel to the complainant EC Chukwu, therefore, prayed the panel to order the police to produce the officers of operation One Chance Unit, who worked between 25th of January 2020 and February 1st 2020, the period the victims were arrested.
He had also prayed the panel to expedite action and compel the Police on the whereabouts of his brother, Obinna Jonnah.
It was in compliance with the order that the three additional police officers were added to the charge and one of them testified what he believed happened to the deceased.
Meanwhile, the matter was referred to the Commission for continuation.
