Release My Husband’s Corpse For Burial, Widow Begs Police …As Panel Strikes Out Nine Petitions

A widow of late Mr Kitoye Itari, an indigene of Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mrs Comfort Ameiofori, has appealed to members of the state Commission of Inquiry Investigating the alleged Acts of Killing, Violence, Torture and Abuse of Fundamental Rights of Citizens committed by officers, men and operatives of the Nigerian Police in the state to prevail on the police high command in the state to release the corpse of her late husband for burial.
Late Mr Kitoye Itari was said to have allegedly died while in the custody of operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Unit, Borikiri in August, 2019.
She said that after her husband’s death, the corpse was taken to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital mortuary in Port Harcourt.
Amiefori made this appeal when she appeared at the resumed sitting of the commission at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, yesterday, adding that efforts by the deceased family to secure the release of the corpse have been unsuccessful.
She took time to narrate how her husband was allegedly tricked by the Abua/Odual Divisional Police Officer (DPO), one Mr Joseph, who handed over her late husband to detectives of the IGP Intelligence Unit, Borokiri, where her husband allegedly died in their custody, adding that one Supol Dauda Abraham was the team leader of the policemen that effected her late husband’s arrest in Abua on that fateful Saturday evening.
According to her, it was the Abua Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that called her late husband, who was his friend to come and see him, adding that her husband, without suspecting anything, graciously went to honour the invitation but could not return to the house.
“When I waited for my husband to return on May 8, 2019, which was on Saturday, I went to the DPO’s office at about 6pm to ask about my husband, but he told me not to worry that my husband will return in two days.
“He later asked me to go and visit my husband at Borokiri in Port Harcourt where the people that arrested my husband were.
“I went there severally, even travelled to Force Headquarters in Abuja, looking for my husband but to no avail.
“Later, I got a call from somebody that my husband’s corpse has been deposited at UPTH mortuary. When I approached Supol Dauda Abraham, he asked me to bring N300,000 before we can bury my husband. Please, help me tell Supol Dauda to release my husband’s corpse for burial,” she pleaded.
In his ruling, the presiding Chairman of the panel, Justice Chukwunoye Uriri (rtd), adjourned the matter to December 9, 2020, for cross-examination by the police counsel.
Meanwhile, the panel has struck out additional three petitions for lack of jurisdiction, bringing to nine the number of petitions so far dismissed by the commission since it began sitting.
The commission had, last week, struck out three petitions and another three last Monday.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Chukwunoye Uriri while striking out the petitions, said there were subjudice and amounted to contempt of court, adding that the commission would be going out of its scope, if it delves into such matter.