Cross River govt should be responsible for death emanating from Operation Skolombo’s activities, police tell NHRC panel

The police, on Monday, told the independent investigative panel on rights violation by the defunct SARS and other police units that instead of holding them responsible for any death resulting from the activities of Operation Skolombo, the Cross River State government which established the security outfit should be held responsible.

The assertion was made before the 11-man panel, set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), by a police lawyer, Malik D Taiwo, while adopting the police’s final written address in a petition filed by Prince Paul Offiong, on behalf of Prince Emmanuel Ephraim, alleging the extrajudicial killing of Ephraim.

The petitioner had joined the defunct SARS, Calabar; Operation Skolombo, Calabar, CPL Mohammed Inuwa Hafiz of defunct SARS; SP Kabiru Salisu of defunct SARS and Inspector-General of Police in the petition, marked 2020/IIP-SARS/ABJ/02.

After adopting the police’s final written address, Taiwo submitted that the police could not be held responsible for Ephraim’s death on the ground that “there was no identifiable person or persons responsible for the death.”

According to the police counsel, the security outfit, Operation Skolombo, comprising different security agencies, was set up by the Cross River State government.

He told the panel, chaired by Justice Suleiman Galadima (retd), that, “Assuming without conceding that death occurred, it is the body that set up the outfit (Cross River government) that ought to be held responsible.”

Taiwo added that the late Ephraim was a mental health issue, submitting that he ought to be under medical supervision but his family neglected this.

He, therefore, urged the panel to dismiss the petition against the police personnel.

Earlier, while adopting the petitioner’s final written address, a lawyer for the panel, Kwadudi Okoh, urged the panel to enter judgment in favour of the petitioner in view of both documentary and oral evident nice before the panel.

The younger brother to the late Ephraim had on November 30, 2020, and December 15, 2020, respectively, told the panel that on June 17, 2017, his brother was shot by Operation Skolombo on his way to church.

The security outfit, established by the Cross River State government to maintain peace and order across the state, according to him, was made up of personnel from the Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Navy.

The fourth respondent in the petition, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kabiru Salisu, while testifying before the panel, informed that police personnel were not part of Operation Skolombo on the day Ephraim was killed.

He, however, said he believed that the deceased was an armed robber, who was shot dead during the patrol of Operation Skolombo on the said date.

Meanwhile, the panel has adjourned the petition for its final report.

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Cross River govt should be responsible for death emanating from Operation Skolombo’s activities, police tell NHRC panel