12th June, 2013
The manner in which Ibrahim Momoh, the contentious UNIBEN student was murdered by the police in Benin, was Tuesday revealed by counsel to the family of the deceased, Barrister Jefferson Uwoghiren.
Uwoghiren who spoke to P.M.NEWS in Benin, insisted that Mrs. Carol Afegbai, the DPO in charge of Ogida Police Station in Benin, the Edo State capital, southsouth Nigeria, actually killed Momoh, and not her orderly as claimed by the state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adebanjo.
Adebanjo, while addressing a press conference last Thursday, expressed the Command’s commitment to uncover the circumstances surrounding Momoh’s death, and added:
“It is not in dispute that the police shot Momoh to prevent his escape, though he later died.”
He said the DPO of Ogida Division, DSP Carol Afegbai has been redeployed and that “her orderly, PC Amadin Idahosa who shot the deceased has been redeployed to facilitate further investigation.”
Uwoghiren, however, faulted these claims by the police. He said Momoh was killed in the premises of the Ogida Police Station in the full glare of onlookers, adding that Mrs. Afegbai the DPO, actually shot him three times in the back.
He displayed a picture of Momoh in the same polo shirt, pair of jeans trousers and snickers in which he was buried, lying on the ground, purportedly taken just before he was shot dead by his assailant.
“Look at this picture, my brother, it was taken there at the police station before they killed him. Does this boy look like somebody who was about to attack the police with gun as they claimed? Where is the gun in his hand?” he queried.
The lawyer who would not disclose how he obtained the photograph, showed a video placed on the YouTube of how Mrs. Afegbai also shot and killed 28-year old Omosigho Eseghegie, whom she called an armed robber.
Uwoghiren vowed to do everything possible to ensure that the killer of Momoh is exposed and brought to justice.
—Jethro Ibileke/Benin