Another death by police brutality? This was the question that
forced angry youth to barricade the Lagos Roundabout and all
entrances leading to Magaji Garin Police Station of Kaduna state,
protesting the death of a Print Technician who was allegedly killed
by a policeman. Even commuters, commercial motorcyclists and residents of
the area ran helter skelter for cover as the angry youth displayed green
leaves, demanding immediate justice over the killing of an innocent
citizen
.
It was gathered that the deceased, Elisha Joseph, a 40-year old man, out
of his love for peace intervened in the fight between a policeman and a
prisons official over their rights on the Forcados/Bonny street
road. According to an eyewitness, Joseph couldn’t condone the traffic
caused by the two security men as their argument lasted, thus, he left
his shop and went to meet them. On getting there, his words of advice
was misinterpreted and the Police officer transferred
his aggression on him, asking who made him a judge over the
case, subsequently, he hit the Print Technician so hard on the
stomach and head repeatedly.
“After hitting him, the
policeman dragged Joseph into his vehicle. People were shouting that the
policeman should leave him alone. He left him and the deceased, stood up
and went to the hospital for a check-up. He died in the hospital”
However, when contacted the Kaduna State Commissioner of
Police, Olufemi Adenaike utterly denied the involvement of one of his men
in the death of Joseph. He simply said, “As a journalist,
go and do your investigation very well, no policeman beat him, no policeman
hit him, he was foaming in the mouth, I think he is diabetic. He took
himself to the hospital and died there.”
With grieve and pains written all over him, the father of
the deceased, Mr. Kunle Joseph lamented on the sudden death of his son
who left home hale and hearty, “I am devastated
over the death of my son, and as at the time of talking to you, I have not
seen the body. I am presently in a state of confusion. There is no action
that will bring him back to life but we want justice to be done,” he said
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