A petitioner has asked for N30million compensation over the alleged death of his brother in detention.
The petitioner said his brother, Cosmos Okenna, was detained by the police from Okporo Divisional headquarters and transferred to the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and died in detention.
The petitioner, Mr Chinasa Okenna, who appeared before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry later told newsmen his brother got into trouble after he intervened in an issue between police and two auto mechanics.
He said the mechanics who had gone to repair a car were arrested on an allegation of stolen car.
The petitioner said while the police were beating the two auto mechanics he had said they should take them to police station which annoyed the police as they started beating him.
Okenna said his brother who was a panelbeater and the two mechanics were detained at the Okporo Divisional headquarters and later transferred to SARS.
He said that his brother had bruises and was refused bail when they went to bail him.
He however said that they were asked to bring hundred thousand naira (N100,000) for their bail.
He also said when his younger brother later went he learnt that he was dead.
Okenna, who said he was in Lagos at time of the incident, told reporters that he went to SARS and was told to go to University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital, saying he found his brother’s body in the mortuary.
He also said the body was released in 2018.
The petitioner said that he wants compensation of thirty million naira but added the amount would not equal his life.
He said they had written petition over the case but the police did nothing.
Okenna also said that his brother and the mechanics worked at the same workshop adding he was arrested on November 10, 2016.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “They went to repair a car for somebody and the police bounced on them and start(ed) beating them telling them that the car is a stolen vehicle, and my brother coming up and saw where the police were doing this with them said instead of killing these people on the road take them to police station and the truth will come out. That was all he said. Then they start(ed) beating him and lift(ed) him up and hit his head on the ground two times.”
He also said the police used tear gas on them.
At the inaugural sitting last year, the commission chairman Honourable Justice C.I.Uriri (retd) had assured that the commission would closely look into petitions brought before it and make recommendations accordingly.
