Police chased, stoned my brother to death in Delta river — Sibling

Mr Victor Friday, an unemployed graduate, speaks with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE on the circumstances surrounding the death of his elder brother, Joshua Ibanga (also known as Amadi), alleging that some police officers in Delta State were complicit

How are you related to the deceased?

How did you get the news of your brother’s death?

A man named Amejuma, who is my friend, called me while I was at work and asked, “Is Amadi your brother?” Amadi was my brother’s nickname, so I said yes. He then told me, “He is the one the police just killed in the river.”

As soon as I heard that, I rushed to the community. I left work a few minutes after 9 a.m. and headed to the scene. When I got to the riverside, I met some people there. They said someone was inside the river, but I remained quiet.

My friend and I went to get divers. For about five hours, we were there. Some of the youths in the community were saying that the police had been wreaking havoc in the community.

It got so heated that the youths became very angry because the police had been doing these things for a very long time. Now, they had killed somebody.

But I still didn’t believe it was my elder brother who was inside the river until they finally brought him out. I have the video of when his corpse was brought out. When they recovered his body after about five or six hours in the river, he was still bleeding from his face despite being inside the water for so long.

When we brought his body out, his stomach was still flat. He didn’t drown. That day was a market day. Before we brought him out, I had already heard that the police had come.

Can you recall what actually happened that led to his death?

I learnt he was sitting with his friend’s child. The police came with an informant who is an indigene of the community. My brother was sitting there and saw the police stopping motorcycles and carrying out their activities. He didn’t move; he was only sitting with a 12-year-old child. So, when they were about to leave, the informant pointed him out and told the policemen to arrest my brother.

We later learnt he did this because he had issues with my brother. The informant’s name is Ashara. When they came close to my brother, some of them were on foot while others came out of their Sienna vehicle. They were RRS policemen. When they approached him, he started running.

He ran because the normal thing here is that when they get to you, whether you are innocent or not, they will start harassing you, and you will have to bail yourself.

Bail yourself with money? How?

That’s how it is in the community. So, he ran and left the place. The 10-year-old child saw the police chase him. He wanted to divert into a street, but they blocked him with the Sienna.

Was he running on foot or driving a car?

No, he was running on foot, and the only option left was for him to head towards the riverside. While some policemen chased him on foot, others pursued him in their vehicle.

My brother dived into the river and, since the policemen could not swim, they started throwing stones at him. The mother of the 12-year-old child, who was on a motorcycle, saw everything when the policemen were throwing stones into the river, but she never knew it was my brother they were pelting with stones.

But when she got off the motorcycle, the child told her that it was Uncle Amadi whom the police were throwing stones at in the river. She immediately ran to the riverside and saw the policemen entering their Sienna and leaving.

She was calling my brother, but he wasn’t responding, not knowing that the stones had already caused serious injuries to his head. He was just floating there, and the next thing she saw was bubbles before my brother sank deep into the river.

What is the name of that community?

The community is Ubeji in Warri, Delta State. It is an Itsekiri community.

When did this incident happen?

What was your brother’s offence?

Nothing. When they caught the informant, Ashara, he said that the policemen chased my brother to the riverside and, when they got there, turned back. When we met the Commissioner of Police in his office, he said that the five policemen claimed they didn’t chase anybody. But their informant said they chased him to the river.

The policemen didn’t know that the informant had already confessed. When we got there, the police were denying it. However, the informant was not there when we met the Commissioner of Police.

So, they didn’t know that the informant had already confessed. The videos are there. When divers brought his corpse out of the river, he was still bleeding.

He was in the river for about six hours, and his stomach was flat. I don’t know why the Commissioner of Police would tell us to carry out an autopsy on my brother’s body.

That’s what is holding up the case. There is no money to conduct the autopsy.

Are you saying the police asked the family of the deceased to pay for the autopsy?

Yes. As it is now, there is no money because my brother was the one helping the family. I am a graduate, but I am still job hunting. I don’t have any money for an autopsy.

Our lawyer said the police were trying to frustrate us so that we would abandon the matter, which I think is already happening because my brother’s corpse is still in the mortuary. It has been over two months already, and we can’t even afford the autopsy.

The autopsy costs N300,000. When I called the police officer, she said she was waiting for my uncle regarding the autopsy. We were advised to use our own doctor. We were also advised not to allow the police to use their own doctor to perform the autopsy.

Since the case is against them, we should not allow that. My uncle said he wanted to use his own doctor. But before then, I think what they were saying was that we should do the autopsy, and they would provide the doctor.

When I said we wanted to bring our own doctor, they started saying they were waiting for us to carry out the autopsy. But there is no money for it.

In this case, it is very glaring that the matter does not even require an autopsy. They know what they are doing. Since the incident, none of them has called us or said anything. They know that even if we want to pursue the matter to the end, we need money to do so. There is no money for the case.

Are you seeking a lawyer who will handle this matter for you pro bono?

That is what I have been looking for. That is what I have been praying for.

How would you describe your brother?

Anybody can go to the community and ask about his character. They should ask if my brother was a troublesome person. If he were troublesome, the youths in the community would not be angry. The youths were very angry. Everybody knows Amadi as a very peaceful person.

What was your brother’s occupation?

He was working at the Warri Refinery. Ubeji is not far from the Warri Refinery.