24th January, 2011
A drug raid by the South African police in the house of Mrs. Azukah Okah, wife of detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, has left a Nigerian dead, reports said yesterday.
P.M.NEWS learnt that Mr. Uzoama Joseph was in Azukah’s house when police officers stormed the building with weapons and sniffer dogs in search of drug.
Reports said that the police released their dogs when they sighted Uzoama who ran to the next house. They arrested and handcuffed him. He was then ordered to take them where the drug was concealed, it was learnt.
P.M.NEWS learnt that when Uzoama hesitated, a police officer took out plastic bags from the trunk of a police car and placed them on his head, reportedly to prevent him from screaming. He died afterwards, it was learnt.
A state pathologist, Dr. Moeng, who examined Uzoama’s body, said that he found out that there were no injuries except the cuts on the wrists from the handcuffs, which shows that Uzoama must have struggled to breathe before he died.
By Simon Ateba