Family cries for justice over suspect’s death in police custody

The alleged death of one Samson Efe in the custody of men of the anti-kidnap section of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Asaba, is causing uproar.

The deceased was said to have been arrested on Saturday, November 12, by operatives of the anti-kidnap section attached to the State CID, Delta Police Command Headquarters, Asaba, on an alleged offence of kidnapping.

Forty-one-year-old Efe was an automobile mechanic and was married with three children. His wife is said to be pregnant currently.

He was allegedly tortured by the armed policemen/detectives from CID Asaba before he was eventually arrested at Otuedor Street, Ugberikoko Road, Sapele, where the victim lived with his immediate family and owned a mechanic workshop.

After his arrest, the suspect was reportedly whisked to Asaba where he was detained same day.

It was gathered that on Monday, November 14, the father of the deceased, Chief Lucky Oseahweke, visited the State CID, Asaba, to secure the release of the victim.

But the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), who refused to disclose his name and rank to the victim’s father, allegedly requested N150,000.00 to secure Efe’s bail.

After Chief Oseahweke was allowed to see the victim, he (victim) was said to have complained that the IPO and his team had consistently tortured him since he was brought to the State CID, Asaba.

The victim’s father was said to have pleaded with the IPO to prevail on his team not to further torture his son, promising to make the N150,000 bail fee available on or before Friday, November 28.

Crime Reports  learnt that when the victim’s father eventually returned to the State CID on Monday, November 21, to secure the victim’s bail, he was informed by the IPO that the victim had died and his corpse deposited in a mortuary.

Chief Oseahweke’s demand to know the cause of his son’s death was allegedly rebuffed by the CID operatives, just as he was prevented from accessing the O/C in charge of the anti-kidnap section.

However, a law firm, Ikimi Oghenejabor & Co in Udu, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police over the killing of Efe in police custody.

Petitioning the IGP on the alleged murder, head of the firm, Oghenejabor Ikimi, called on him “to order an impartial and independent investigation into the torture and murder of the victim,” whose father he described as his client.

Ikimi alleged that the victim must have been “tortured to death by his investigators at the anti-kidnap section for no just cause, as the men of the section and the entire Delta State Police Command Headquarters are trying to suppress the matter.”

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Andrew Aniamaka, who was contacted on phone by this reporter, denied the report that Efe died of torture.

Aniamaka told Crime Reports that the victim died of cardiac arrest as stated in the report of the autopsy carried out by the command.

He also denied the allegation that the IPO in charge of the case requested N150,000 from the victim’s father.