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ONE of the principal witnesses at the judicial commission of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the killings of six persons by the police in Abuja, Chukwudi Chukwu, said yesterday that contrary to popular view, the only female victim of the Apo killings, Augustina Aregbu, was killed with the aid of a nail that was driven into her nostril by the police.
ABUJA - ONE of the principal witnesses at the judicial commission of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the killings of six persons by the police in Abuja, Chukwudi Chukwu, said yesterday that contrary to popular view, the only female victim of the Apo killings, Augustina Aregbu, was killed with the aid of a nail that was driven into her nostril by the police.
Chukwudi, a photographer, who said he had worked closely with the police for seven years, said Augustina was taken to the Garki Police Station alive before a long nail was driven into her nostril leading to her death.
Meanwhile, an Abuja High Court sitting at Wuse, Zone 5 yesterday fixed July 12 this year to decide whether or not the Inspector-General of Police can initiate criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria.
The outcome of the ruling will determine whether or not the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, can competently go ahead with the prosecution before the Abuja High Court of six policemen including a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Danjuma Ibrahim, accused of killing six Igbo traders extra-judicially at Apo Mechanic Village, Abuja.
In his testimony, Chukwudi recalled: 'When I wanted to take the pictures of the corpses, the lady (Augustina), was crying, ‘water, water'; then I called the IPO (Investigation Police Officer) Dennis Asawa that she wanted to take water. It was then they knew that she had not died. 'So, it was like he went and told the DPO, Abdulsalam Othman. They then took the girl to the Police Container.
They said I should wait at the gate, and should not take the picture until she died. The girl took a long time to die. I saw a long nail in her nose, when I wanted to take her picture, blood was rushing from that place," Chukuwudi told the Judicial Commission.
He said he was first called at about 3.a.m. and again at 6.a.m. to take the shots of the deceased. He also revealed that when the case first opened at the Okiro panel, he was called by Victor Pam (Divisional Crime Officer 1, Garki) who said the negatives were still with him and demanded that he should see the DPO. 'When I went to see the DPO, he said he heard that I would be invited to the Okiro panel, but I said I won't be having anything to do with it. Then he threatened me not to appear before the panel, even if I was invited. Then he gave me N10,000, which I still have in my drawer now," the witness said.
Also testifying at the commission, Godwin Eze, a resident of Prince and Princess Estate who said he delivered one of the victims to Hassan Wajiga, a Mopol attached to the estate, explained how he helped to save the sixth victim.
'The man said I should help him to the Police Headquarters, I said no, I would take him to Garki Police Station. He said they would kill him. So I delivered him to one Hassan Wagija, (also known as Husseini) who was to take him (the victim) to the Force Headquarters. So on his way, he (Wajiga) said the police saw him and took the victim and killed him," Eze stated.
The six Igbo traders slaughtered by the police are Anthony Nwokike, Chinedu Meniru, Ifeanyo Ozo, Isaac Ekene, Paul Ogbona and Tina Arebun, all of Apo Mechanic Village, Apo Village, Abuja.
All of them were said to be inside a 406 saloon car before they were murdered at 12.33am on June 8, this year, with AK 47 service rifles.
Justice Ishaq Bello, fixed the date to rule on whether the IGP should go ahead with the prosecution of the six policemen yesterday after listening to extensive arguments from counsel representing the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ehindero on one hand and an embattled police officer, Mr Danjuma, on the other hand.
Shortly after the six Igbo traders were murdered in cold blood by some policemen on the suspicion that they were armed robbers, Mr Ehindero, set up a board of inquiry to investigate the matter.
The board of inquiry headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro, took evidence from all interested persons including the accused police officers before indicting them.
The indicted police officers are Danjuma Ibrahim, Divisional Police Officer of the Garki Police Station; Mr Othman abdulsalam, Leader of Ambush Squad, Alpha Series; Mr Nichola Zakaria (ASP); and a Police Corporal, Mr Ezekiel Azeneje. Others are Messrs Baba Emmanuel and Sadiq Salami.
Besides the investigations conducted by the police board of inquiry, a team of investigators also probed the roles played by individual police officers and established prima facie case of murder against them.
Upon the recommendations of the two fact-finding bodies, the Inspector-General of Police issued a preliminary report, recommending all the six police officers for murder trial, saying the killing of the six Igbo traders was premeditated.
He said their action was not only reprehensible, unjustifiable but also indefensible. He consequently invoked the powers conferred on him by virtue of section 23 of the Police Act, Cap 359, Laws of the Federation 1990 to ask for leave of the court to initiate criminal proceedings against the sextet, a request that was granted.
All the accused police officers were consequently arraigned before an Abuja High Court after they had been served with the charges drawn up against them and the accompanying proof of evidence.
But one of the six policemen and alleged arrow-head of the premeditated murder, Mr Danjuma, brought an objection through his counsel, Mr Rickey Tarfa (SAN), to challenge the powers of the Inspector-General of Police to initiate criminal charge against any person and before any court in Nigeria.
He contended that by virtue of the provisions of section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, the police have no statutory powers to prosecute any person before a High Court in Nigeria, adding that the judge in the case granted leave to prosecute them in error.
Danjuma consequently asked the court to set aside the leave earlier granted the IGP to prosecute him, discharge and acquit him of all the three of the six charges hanging on his neck as contained in the charge sheet drawn up against them.
He gave nine reasons why the court must move in his favour, including that no proper application for leave to prefer the charges against him was brought; that the proof of evidence exhibited does not support the charge and therefore incompetent and that IGP has no constitutional powers to initiate criminal proceedings.
Other reasons are that the said charge by the police is an abuse of judicial process in view of the terms of reference of the judicial commission of enquiry established by the Federation Attorney-General; that the proposed attached was unreliable having been fundamentally altered; that the charge infracts on Danjuma's right to fair hearing and that it was brought in bad faith.
The police filed a counter-affidavit, tearing into shreds all the claims by Danjuma including his nine-point ground which he relied upon.
Danjuma's counsel and the police met in court yesterday to make submissions on the constitutional question raised bordering on whether the IGP is empowered by law to initiate criminal proceedings against any person in the country.