Fidelis Okoro, a former Senator, has told a Federal High Court sitting Abuja, that Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), are hiding one Mohammed Yusuf, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who allegedly killed his son, Chukwuemeka, five years ago in the Durumi area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In a suit for the enforcement of his fundamental rights marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1165/2019, the plaintiff asked the court to award N3 billion to him as compensation and damages for the murder of his son.
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The former senator, who represented Enugu North Senatorial District between 1999 and 2007, joined the Police Service Commission (PSC), the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) Nigerian Police Force and ASP Yusuf as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
In the suit filed by his counsel, Mbanefo Ikwegbue, the plaintiff prayed the court for an order directing the IGP and the Nigerian Police to immediately arraign Yusuf before a court of competent jurisdiction for murder.
Okoro in his statement of claim, averred that “On August 11, 2014, the deceased, Mr. John Chukwuemeka Okoro, was in the company of his friend Sunny Black eating at a restaurant in Durumi area of Abuja.”
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“A police patrol team from Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in Abuja, which came to Durumi in search of other alleged suspects, accosted the late John Okoro and his friend, Mr. Black.”
“In the confusion that ensued, the policeman shot John Okoro, who was having no arms first in the leg. Having maimed him instead of taking him alive for interrogation, irrespective of the fact that he was pleading his innocence, the policeman by name Mohammed Yusuf shot him in the chest as a result of which John died,” he said.
According to him, the deceased was initially taken to SARS Office in Abuja, in a move to conceal the information about what had happened.
He said they later took his lifeless body to Gwagwalada Teaching Hospital in Abuja, where they told the mortuary attendant that it was a case of hit-and-run.
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Okoro noted that being aggrieved by the gruesome murder of his son, he petitioned the then IGP, and the FCT Police Command over the extrajudicial killing of his son.
He stated: “Although the then Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Usman A. Belel of the FCT Police Command issued a query in November 2014, to AP/No: 79224 ASP Mohammed Yusuf of SARS, who was the leader of the SARS team on the day of the incident, and who actually shot John Okoro nothing came out of it as it is alleged that the Police always protect one of their own.
“Apart from ASP Mohammed Yusuf, two other suspects who were members of his SARS team on the day of the incident were also invited by the FCT Police Command for orderly room trial.
“The two suspects who were subjected to orderly room trial were as follows:
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F/No 342822 – SGT Agada Kenneth and F/No 366505 – CPL Agada Lawrence”.
He noted that after the trial of both Agada Kenneth and Agada Lawrence, the police officer who presided as the adjudicator ruled and recommended as follows:
“That the incident was a case of extrajudicial killing and the two suspects were wrong to have killed John Okoro. That the two suspects be dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force with immediate effect for the extrajudicial killing of John Okoro.
“That the two suspects should be charged and tried for murder. That the two suspects should be detained in police custody until they are charged to court for murder trial”.
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The senator, however, noted that he was shocked when he received the news that the two suspects, who were detained and waiting to be charged and arraigned for murder had escaped from police detention.
The two suspects are said to be at large since 2015 till date.
The senator equally added that he had received an unconfirmed report that the two suspects, who went through the orderly room trial and their team lead, ASP Mohammed Yusuf, are still with the Police Force and receiving their salaries from 2015 till date.
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However, when the matter came up on Friday, none of the defendants were in court, neither were they represented by counsel.
The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, consequently adjourned till January 14, 2020.
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