Sampson Itode, Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Police Command has identified the inspector allegedly beaten to death by soldiers in the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, identified the slain officer as Inspector Hosea Yakubu, adding that the details surrounding the incident were still sketchy.
It was learnt that Hosea was beaten to a pulp by soldiers attached to a company for driving against the traffic in front of the Eleme Petrochemical Company on Sunday, August 16, 2020.
A brother of the late Hosea, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said, “My brother and two other policemen drove against the traffic because of gridlock and when they got to the Eleme Petrochemical gate, a soldier in mufti stopped them and an argument ensued, which degenerated into a fight. One of the soldiers, who joined the fight, used a thick plank to hit my brother in the head and he fell down and couldn’t move.
“He was subsequently rushed to the nearest hospital from where he was referred to the UPTH and admitted to the ICU.
“After 24 hours on admission, he gave up. Up till now, neither the police nor the military have said anything or taken action to bring the culprits to justice.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Charles Ekeocha, said he had yet to be briefed about the incident and promised to get back to our correspondent later, but he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
-Punch
