Posted by From John Abba-Ogbodo, Abuja on
TWO months after the death of their son and bread winner from injuries allegedly inflicted by policemen, the family of late Shemi Yongo has written to the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, demanding a full scale investigation into the matter.
TWO months after the death of their son and bread winner from injuries allegedly inflicted by policemen, the family of late Shemi Yongo has written to the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sunday Ehindero, demanding a full scale investigation into the matter.
The family according to a younger brother of the deceased, Anthony Yongo, at a press conference yesterday in Abuja wants the perpetrators of the act to be brought to book.
Yongo told journalists that the family in its petition is insisting on the full scale investigation since his elder brother allegedly died as a result of police brutality.
In the petition filed by the family's solicitors, they are asking the police authorities to wade into the death because of the circumstances surrounding it.
"We make bold to state without any fear of contradiction that the circumstances leading to the death of Mr. Shemi Yongo is manifestly unlawful as it does not fall within the purview of the exceptions stipulated under section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999", the petition read in part.
The family asked that justice be done in the matter, and appealed to Ehindero to ensure that the culprits are apprehended and punished.
It also demanded that the family be paid adequate compensation for the extra-judicial killing of the Abuja-based businessman.
Tracing the genesis of the alleged murder, Yongo said the deceased had a disagreement with a lady friend at Zone 4 in Wuse district of Abuja over an alleged debt of N1,500. This led to a confrontation between the two on the night of Friday, March 19, 2005.
According to the younger Yongo, the lady simply known as Ann from Taraba State, in the course of the scuffle, which ensued, called some policemen who were on duty there and in the process, they (the policemen) beat Shemi to a state of coma.
Yongo disclosed that a friend and a brother of the deceased who were with him before the scuffle rushed him to his (Yongo's) residence but he was out of the House, however, when he made effort of contact the brother the following day, his cell phone rang without response.
Yongo said he went to Wuse police station and made a report but was told that there was no record of such incident. After several efforts, Yongo further said, he was later told that the medical reports including autopsy of the National Hospital proved that his late brother had injuries before the death.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Abuja command, Ehiomele Atavie, could not be reached but an officer who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that a special raid squad of the command was on duty at the Zone 4 area where a fight involving a man and a woman but before then, they were gathered by a crowd having separated the fight. The source said, the man and the lady were taken to Wuse Station by the team and detained but later, the man complained of stomach ache and was rushed to Wuse hospital where the deceased was confirmed dead.