From Alhassan Bala ,Abuja
One Mr Ejiofor Umuuna a complainant at the Independent Investigative Panel on allegations of human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS) and other units of the Nigerian Police on Wednesday told the panel how his brother Kenneth Umuuna died following torture,cruel inhuman and degrading treatment meted out on his deceased brother by SARS in Kaduna state
The complainant said his brother was killed by SARS in Kaduna state on 3rd September 2009 but his corpse was only released for burial in 2016.
He told the panel that on the 16th August 2009,he received a call fro his father(now deceased) that Kenneth has been taken by SARS,led by one Insp Kabiru Mohammed,on the instructions of one Alhaji Ahmadu Madugari, following a fight the victim had with a neighbor named Monday Igwe.
Narrating further before the panel,Ejiofor said when their late father visited Kenneth where he was detained,he met him in a dehumanising condition on the floor.
When his father inquired why he was in that state,the victim (now deceased) told his father that he was tortured,only for the father to be informed later that his son was sick.
On getting to the police station,the father was directed to take him to the hospital where he met Kenneth on a seat looking lifeless,he could not stand on his feet.
He was immediately taken to a private hospital,Alba hospital by his father where they were asked to produce police report due to the condition he was brought into the hospital.
Ejiofor informed the panel that their father moved Kenneth to 44 Army hospital in Kaduna, he was not admitted because there was no bed space.
Thereafter all hospitals they visited police report was required before admittance.
When they went back to the Police Station for the report,the police denied them.
The father took him to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital,Chika,Zaria where he died on 3rd September 2009.
The father tried to get justice by writing petition to Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the IGP directed the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna to investigate the complaints.
Monday Igwe,Alhaji Ahmadu Madugari, Insp Kabiru Mohammed were invited by the Commissioner and they were detained for only a day.
The family’s prayer before the panel is to get justice for his brother and financial compensation of N700,000,000(Seven hundred million naira) only.
Hearing was adjourned to 12th January 2021.
