A retired Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Martins Agbana has urged the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry Investigating Alleged Acts of Violence, Torture, Brutality, Murder and Violation of Fundamental Human Rights of Citizens committed by officers, men and operatives of the Nigerian police sitting in Port Harcourt to summon the Chairman, Board of Directors, Nigerian Maritime Security and Safety Administration, Honourable Asita O. Asita, to come and explain his role in the alleged killing of an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad-hoc staff, late Mr Michael Abadume during the March 2019 governorship election in Akinima, Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state.
Agbana, who is currently the chief security officer (CSO), to the Ahoada West made the appeal when he appeared before the panel, last Monday, to give evidence, adding that inviting Honourable Asita to explain the circumstances leading to the alleged killing of the INEC ad-hoc state in the area was necessary to assuage the feelings of the people.
According to him, the police attached to the NIMASA boss during the said election, allegedly murdered the late INEC ad-hoc staff at about 3am at a collation centre in Akinima, the headquarters of the LGA.
He told the commission that a petition was sent to the Force Headquarters in Abuja and a signal sent to the State Criminal Investigating Department (SCID), adding that few arrests were made, arguing that leaving the principal actor to be moving freely in the society without any molestation amounted to injustice and abuse of due process.
“Soon, another election will be held again, and if nothing is done, people will assume they can kill again, and go scout free”, he stated.
Martins also informed the commission that efforts made to get justice in the matter went without success, saying that what the people in the area want was nothing but justice.
Ruling on the matter, the presiding Chairman of the commission, Justice Chukwunoye Uriri (rtd), after listening to the evidence given by the petitioner, adjourned the matter to December 30, 2020, for continuation.
Meanwhile, the people of Egwebe Asarama in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have urged the state government to remedy the wanton destruction the community suffered in the hands of the police on March 7 this year.
The Paramount Ruler of the community, King Gabriel Ugbokikwani Ogbologwung, made the demand when he appeared before the commission of inquiry, last Monday, to give evidence, adding that the entire community was destroyed by armed police operatives on that faithful day.
He alleged that the armed police operatives executed the act on the orders of the chairman of the local government area because of a boundary dispute the Egwebe community and the council chairman’s community.
According to him, his people woke up on that black day at about 7am, and saw that the entire community invaded by armed police men, including unidentified hoodlums, who set houses, and cars ablaze.
“When we asked, the response was that they came looking for hoodlums on March 6 and 7.
“The wanton destruction was enormous. We cannot quantify the huge loss in terms of monetary value because it will run in millions of Naira. My palace was destroyed, my houses and my father’s building was destroyed. The whole Owo family household was razed completely”, he narrated.
The matter was later referred to the conference by the commission as the police claimed that they had no witness to call since no officer of the Nigerian Police Force was mentioned by the petitioner as accomplice in the purported crime.