Policemen Arraigned For Extrajudicial Killing

sentence

Four former officers were yesterday held liable for extra judicial killing by the Rivers State police command, in a continuing trial over a January 2010 fatal scuffle with a bus driver and the suspects.

The suspects, Sergeant Ali Bello, Sergeant Clement Indyel and Auwalu Kwale, all attached to Etisalat in Port Harcourt, and accused of killing some passengers during an attempt to extort N50 from the bus driver are being tried before Justice Georgewill of the State High Court.

As the hearing continued yesterday, Inspector Sampson Oruene of the state anti robbery section, a member of the panel that investigated the murder, told the court that eight suspects were arrested initially but only three were eventually found to be connected with the crime after police investigation.

“Felix Omorega (rtd), Inspector Patrick Emmanuel now in Akwa Ibom State and myself were asked to investigate the matter. In the end we recovered four AK47, two FNC riffles.

“We also discovered two corpses in the bus with number plate SW 428AAA, two other victims were also injured and we collected their statements, monitored the register for movement of arms as well as autopsy of the deceased as presented.”

He also said further investigation of the suspects and ballistic test on the exhibit riffles led to freedom for five of the suspects while the three now standing trial were dismissed from the force.

After hearing the police witness’ testimony and evidence, Justice Georgewill adjourned the case to 25th of April 2013, for cross examination of more witnesses.