The police are also investigating the alleged compromise by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in-charge of the Bridge-head Police Station, Godson Mgbirionye Ubani, in the alleged murder.
Anambra state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Haruna Mohammed who confirmed this to newsmen on phone yesterday, while reacting to a complaint lodged by a human right organization under the aegis of Human Rights Defenders of Nigeria, HRDN, said the matter is under Police investigation by Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Bureau, CIIB of the Command.
Haruna, a Superintendent of Police, SP, however, pleaded that people should not pre-empt the investigation.
But in condemning the alleged murder, HRDN alleged that the 22-year old Agu who lived in Asaba, Delta State capital and was doing his Keke business in Onitsha, was killed for his refusal to offer N100 “settlement money” to the police team attached to the newly created Onitsha abridge-head Police Division which was before now under the Fegge Police Division.
In its protest letter to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Garba Baba Umar, HRDN stated that Citizen Chinedu Samuel Agu who hailed from Ebonyi State was forcefully dragged out from his Keke tricycle on a fateful day June 8, 2018, at about 3.20pm and kicked severally with the Police gun butt before being pushed into an on-coming vehicle which crushed him to death instantly.
HRDN further alleged in their petition to the CP, signed by their chairman, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, that immediately after the incident, one of the culprits, Sgt Magaji was arrested, while two other police officers were not questioned over their roles in the “despicable and un-policeman acts”, adding that they were aghast by the alleged sudden release of Sgt Magaji by the DPO.
In the petition, HRDN further declared: “just yesterday, 11th June 2018 when the family of Agu was invited by the DPO, they were told to their amazement that the detained Sgt Magaji had escaped from lawful Police detention and pleaded with the family to proceed to the mortuary to carry the body of the deceased Agu for burial”.
HRDN alleged that there have been torrents of complaints by both traders, motorists and residents of Onitsha of intimidation and extortion by Police at the Bridge-head end, at the instance of the DPO.
The HRDN, therefore, demanded that the DPO should be directed to re-arrest Sgt Magaji and two other officers to face justice.
They also demanded that the matter be transferred to the SCID for “proper, unbiased and discreet investigations”
According to the petition, “this open-day murder should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet as the DPO is making serious effort to personally conduct an autopsy on the deceased just to cover up the cause of the death”.
“That immediate directive should be sent to DPO to hands off and immediately transfer the matter to Awka for further investigations. That the DPO should be investigated and if found culpable be demoted to serve as a deterrent to others who may follow the DPOs unpopular steps. Sir, we count on your unbiased investigation into this matter”, the group appeal.