Inspector Kumode Ozovehe, an Investigation Police Officer at Dutse Alhaji Police Divisional Headquarters, Abuja Friday told the Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violations by the defunct SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police Force that the testimony of a petitioner, Mrs Ijeoma Dike is inconsistent with the statement of her husband, Mr. Dike Chinedu Elvis at the Police station over the death of their son, Uchenna Dike.
According to the Police witness, while Mrs. Dike testified that she was in her shop when she heard people shouting Police have shot Uchenna, Police have shot Uchenaa, and she went out of her shop to confirm it, the husband claimed that he was beside her wife’s shop in Dutse Alhaji when he saw a Policeman shoot his son, Uchenna on 20th October, 2020 during the END SARS protest in the area.
In addition, he told the panel that it was not clear whether it was Police bullet or any other bullet that killed the boy in question since according to him there was violence on 20th of October, 2020 leading to burning of vehicles like Urban Mass transit and Berger Construction Company vehicle, and that many victims were involved.
He told the panel that Mr. Dike Chinedu Elvis, the father of the deceased Uchena actually came to the Police station to report the alleged killing of his son by the Police and was according instructed by his Superior Officers, DPO and DCO to take his statement.
Continuing, he said that at a point, Mr. Dike requested for the release of his son’s corpse, which he noted was deposited at Kubwa General Hospital Mortuary at that time and he refused to oblige him because autopsy was not conducted on the body of the deceased to ascertain the cause of his death.
Inspector Samuel informed the panel that he related the request of the victim’s father to his DPO, who agreed with him that autopsy ought to be done first before they release the corpse but Mr, Dike went further to escalate the matter to the Commissioner of Police, who ordered the release of the said corpse and it was given to the parents accordingly.
It would be recalled that the mother of the deceased, Mrs. Ijeoma Dike had earlier testified before the panel that she sent her son to buy something for her on the same day that he was allegedly killed by the Police.
