The Police High Command has ordered that a fresh autopsy be conducted on late auto-mechanic, Chima Ikwunado, who died in police custody in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with his family present this time around.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Frank Mba, disclosed this when he appeared on a live television programme monitored by The Tide in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
Mba said the force was yet to carry out any disciplinary action on the officers alleged to have tortured Chima to death because, according to him, investigations are still ongoing.
He, however, admitted that the head of the Eagle Crack Team of the police in Rivers State has been summoned to Abuja for questioning.
According to Mba, “The officer-in-charge of that crack team has been summoned to Force Headquarters, Abuja. I am significantly involved. He has made his statements; he has furnished us his case files. He has tendered some documents, including a post-mortem report that was conducted on the body (late Chima’s)
“But we needed to complete our investigations. We are also proposing repeating the post-mortem examination, and perhaps, this time around, we want to make sure that the representatives of the family of the deceased are involved.”
Mba, however, condoled with the family of late Chima Ikwunado and the people of Rivers State, pointing out that it was the duty of the police to ensure that the life of every Nigerian was preserved.
“The only thing I can tell the deceased family, friends of the deceased and every citizen out there, particularly in Port Harcourt, is to say that our heart goes out to the family.
“The death of any Nigerian is painful, it doesn’t matter how it occurred. Even when we engage with kidnappers, armed robbers, and perhaps, in course of the shootout they die, we don’t celebrate such deaths. Because, our core calling is not to take live. Our core calling is to preserve life,” the FPRO explained.
In the same vein, the Rivers State Police Command says it was yet to release the copse of the late mechanic because his family has not come to claim it.
The Tide recalls that the family of late Chima Ikwunado had accused the police of refusing them access to his remains.
But spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, while speaking on a live radio programme in Port Harcourt, at the weekend, denied the allegation, and urged the family members to visit the commissioner of police to demand his corpse.
“When you want to discuss, it is not by castigating the police or saying police didn’t do this or that. It is important that the family should come and see the commissioner of police, and say that ‘we want the body of our son that died in police custody’.
“But they have not done that. They have not seen the commissioner of police. So, are we going to release the body to a ghost?
Omoni, also denied that police operatives tortured the suspect (late Chima) in order to get a confession from him, insisting that torture was not part of its procedure.
“Torture is not part of our procedure in eliciting confessions from suspects. If someone commits an offense, interview and interrogations are what we do. I worked in Critical Investigation Departments like State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), even Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“I was officer-in-charge of Legal (O/C Legal) sometime before I was made the PRO. If you want a suspect to tell you the truth of what happened, you don’t need to torture him. You don’t need to subject him to any kind of harsh treatment.
“By the time you are asking him questions, he will be playing into your hands. He will be telling you what he did without even knowing it,” Omoni stated.
However, the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has warned journalists in the state against any form of romance with the police over the killing of Chima Ikwunado and the continued detention of his four colleagues who are currently remanded in prison custody.
This was contained in a statement signed by the council’s Secretary, Mr Ike Wigodo, and made available to newsmen, at the weekend, in Port Harcourt.
The statement noted that journalists should shun any form of invitation by the E-Crack Police Team, but should concern themselves more on how to unravel the circumstances behind the death of the mechanic in police custody.
It also advised on what it described as team work in order to resist any sort of temptation that may arise in the process of interacting with the police.
“It has come to the notice of NUJ, Rivers State Council that the E-Crack unit of the police is inviting some journalists, including some national dailies to come and see a video”, it warned.
It further charged members of the council to ensure fairness and balance in their reportage, rather than taking sides.
According to the statement, any invitation from the police should be via the NUJ leadership in the state to ensure proper and thorough work and to promote team work.
“Please, disregard such invitation as such should come through the NUJ. Members of NUJ should beware that any invitations from E-Crack on this matter is unacceptable. NUJ should fight together as a family”, it appealed.
Some journalists who reacted to the alleged police invitation, condemned it in its entirety, and said it must stop forthwith.
Others described it as “blood envelop invitation”, which they said ought not to be heard within journalism circle.
The Tide learnt that the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the state is hell-bent in their support of the Ikoku traders to shut down operations today, should the police fail to release the corpse of late Chima to his family.
It would be recalled that the E-Crack unit of the Rivers State Police Command has been in the news since last week over the death of a mechanic in their custody during alleged ‘torture’ to extract confessional statement.
The Tide gathered that some of the remaining four suspects, arrested along with Chima, also had fresh injuries allegedly sustained during interrogation to extract confessional statements while in custody at the E-Crack Team’s Mile 1 Police Station base.
Chima’s colleagues now remanded in prison custody following their arraignment in court, include, Victor Ogbonna, Osaze Friday, Ifeanyi Osuji, and Ifeanyi Onyekwere.