A supervisor with Topflier company located at Kilometre 36 along Lekki/Epe expressway, Lagos, has called on the appropriate offices and concerned Nigerians to come to his aid, claiming he was being framed for a murder he had no hand in.
Consequently, the supervisor identified as Emmanuel Igho, has been detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Yaba for the past six months.
He was however arraigned before Yaba Magistrate’s Court 2, Sabo, Monday,but he was not granted bail , on the ground that the court was yet to get report from the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.
Emmanuel Igho…’My hands are clean’
Trouble as gathered started for Igho,30, a father of two, following his attempt to render medical assistance to a casual worker with one of the companies around his, who was alleged to have beaten to stupor by some policemen.
But unfortunately, the causal worker identified as Abdulahi Musiliu, reportedly died moments after arriving the hospital.
Narrating his ordeal to Crime Guard shortly before leaving the court premises, Igho said: “ It all happened on October 10, 2012. I was on a routine patrol around the company’s premises, when I saw one Adbulahi Musiliu, a casual worker with another company in the estate and an unidentified person smoking Indian hemp.
When I accosted them, Abdullahi challenged me, saying it was like I wanted to loose my job. He said he was a Yoruba man and therefore, was entitled to do whatever he liked anywhere. Sensing danger, I called the policemen attached to the company to usher the smokers out. They did and I went back to work.
But about 20 minutes later, Abdulahi came back with some boys who came to inquire about what happened between us. After explaining to them . They blamed him (Abdulahi) and begged on his behalf.
“As they were about leaving, Corporal Kehinde Ogburemi dragged Abdulahi and they started fighting, in the process of which Abdulahi overpowered him. He inflicted injuries on the policeman and even tore his uniform. As we were trying to bring the situation under control, Kehinde and his colleague Moses Paul, fired some shots into the air which prompted everyone to run for safety.
But as everyone fled, the policemen still held Adbulahi and requested that he must give them N30,000 for the assault. His friends pleaded with N3000 but the policemen refused, saying they should bring N20,000.
Abdullahi later left apparently to look for money. By the time he came back, his friends had given the policemen N3000 but they refused to accept. The argument over the payment dragged on till 7pm, when I was supposed to close for the day. But I decided to stay back to ensure the matter was settled. By the time they eventually resolved the matter it was 9pm.
Barely had I stepped out of the premises heading for home that one of the boys working with me ran to inform me that the policemen were beating Abdulahi. I rushed back and met him (Abdullahi )on the ground, unconscious. I even scolded the policemen that they should have taken the man to the station rather than beating him up. And when I flashed my phone torchlight on Abdulahi, I discovered he was forming in the mouth. I called his friends to take him home and even asked whether he had been sick before, but they said no.
I was at home at about 2am when I received a phone call from one of his friends that his condition had worsened. But I could not come out at that ungodly hour. However, I rushed to work very early the following day and took Abdullahi to the hospital, because I was told he was abandoned there.
After examining his condition, the doctor said he would be okay. I then left to notify manager of the company where he worked about what happened, who went to the hospital with me to see him.
I also went to Mulero Police Station, Ajah, to report the incident. But at the station, I noticed that the policemen were trying to turn the case around by putting the blame on my boys who were present when the policemen were beating Abdulahi”, he said.
Abdullahi as gathered, was transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital , LUTH, Idiaraba, on doctor’s advice on October 11, 2013, where unfortunately, he died.
Harvest of arrest over Abdullahi’s death.
Continuing, Igho said, “one of my boys was arrested on October 11, 2013 , following Abdullahi’s death. I had to bail him with N2,000. Next day, another worker was arrested and when I went to the station to effect his bail , I was arrested.
The policemen said I should testify that my boys killed Abdulahi but I refused and insisted rather, that their colleagues; Corporals Moses Paul and Kehinde Ogboremi, from Mulero division who were attached to our company beat up Abdulahi, which led to his being hospitalized and he died.
Detained since October 2012
On October 28, 2012, I was detained at Mulero police division,from where I was transferred to the SCID until this March, over an offense I knew nothing about. What I did was to protect my job by taking the deceased to the hospital and reported the case to the Police.
Is this how the world is? Is there no justice any more? I am therefore using this medium to beg for justice so that I do not end up in jail over a case I have no hand in”, he stated.
His lawyer,Ogedi Ogu, however assured that justice would be prevail at the end of the day. But regretted that effort to effect his client’s bail was stalled by the absence of the DPP’s advice.
Policemen arrested
However, Crime Guard’s investigation revealed that the two policemen in question had been arrested and were currently being detained at the SCID.
The policemen: Corporals Moses and Kehinde, who hail from Edo and Ondo states respectively, were reportedly arrested on the order of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko. Although, it could not be ascertained whether they were tried before their arrest but sources hinted that their arrest and subsequent detention was to prevent them from escaping.
In their statement to operatives at the Homicide section of SCID, the policemen reportedly admitted to have had a scuffle with the decease,but dissociated themselves from his death.
They also reportedly claimed that the deceased and his colleagues attempted to snatch their riffles from them, thereby necessitating the release of gun shots. They were said to have also tendered the torn police uniform as evidence.
However ,if found culpable , the Corporals as learnt, would be dismissed from the Force and charged for murder.
The prosecuting council had told the court last Monday that: “We have got the DPP’s advice concerning the officers. What we are waiting for now, is the DPP’s advice on the defendant. As soon as it comes, the case will be merged and all parties involved will be charged to court”.
Meanwhile, the remains of Abdullahi had been buried,while his family as gathered, had pleaded that the case be settled out of court.
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