Prosecute our son’s killers, says family of policeman shot by colleague over N20,000 ‘largesse’

FAMILY members of Sergeant Salvation Adaka, a policeman who was allegedly shot dead by his colleagues over N20,000 ‘largesse’ on November 7, have called on the police authorities to prosecute the culprits.

It was gathered that Adaka and three of his colleagues from Agudama-Ekpetiama Police Division were on patrol duty on November 7 and stopped over at a wake ceremony where they were reportedly given N20,000.

Trouble, however, started when an argument ensued over the sharing formula for the gift received by Adaka, the most senior member of the patrol team. He was fatally shot in the scuffle.

Prince Joseph Yabefa, a representative of the family of the deceased policeman, said in Yenagoa that the family just received the autopsy reports which confirmed that Adaka died of gunshots.

He said that the pathologist who conducted the autopsy found pieces of the bullets in the spinal cord of the deceased.

Yabefa, who expressed satisfaction with the steps so far taken by the Bayelsa Police Command on the incident, noted that the family was demanding the prosecution of the suspects.

“We have been following developments on the case; our interactions with the police indicate that three of the policemen with Adaka on that day were immediately arrested and detained.

“We were also told that one of them who was found not to be culpable had been released while two are still in police custody awaiting prosecution.”

“Most importantly, investigations have indicated that they were on official duty when the incident occurred and not illegal duty as being speculated in some quarters.

“We are still in grief because Salvation Adaka was the breadwinner to the entire family including his immediate family; he has an aged mother, five children as well as elder and younger brothers that depended on him.”