The eight policemen were
attached to the Lagos State Police Command and were charged with negligent of
duty and found guilty by the police top hierarchy after a trial that lasted
almost two years.
They were actually nine
policemen that were indicted for the crime, but one of the policemen, an
Inspector, known as a pastor among his colleague was allowed to go.
In July 21, 2013, around 3pm,
an undergraduate
of Delta State University, Ifechukwude Nwainokpor, 25, and his friend, Kazeem
were killed by an angry mob, while some policemen who witnessed the incident
turned blind eyes.
The policemen, attached to the Badagry
Police Station, later carried the corpses to their station, planted guns on
them and told their Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Dankoli Mohammed, that
the boys were slain robbers.
Unfortunately for the policemen who
supposed to protect lives and protect, someone among the crowd videoed the
incident.
The chilling video ran for eight
minutes. The clip showed that the two victims were handcuffed, with tyres hung
around their necks, while members of the mob hit them stick from different
angles. Some people in the crowd were yelling, burn them! Kill them!
The video also
captured a policeman interrogating the boys.
According to
Punch, the policeman asked the boys who sent them to rob the area, but the
victims denied being robbers.
Punch noted: “One
of the hoodlums, holding a sharp object attempted to cut off the private part of
one of the victims. Nwainokpor could be seen pleading with the hoodlums and
policemen to spare his life, saying he could identify himself if given a
chance. His plea, however, fell on deaf ears.”
Nwainokpor’s
father, Samuel, said that his son was arrested while passing through a street
in the area but a misunderstanding later ensued and the hoodlums pounced
on him and Kazeem.
Samuel reportedly
told Punch: “On that particular day, I was in Ghana when I received a telephone
call that I should come immediately. My wife was in Delta State taking
care of her mother. When I arrived two days later, my relatives and
the caretaker of my house told me that my son was killed in the Ajara area
along with his friend. I was devastated. I got my son a temporary job with
a Customs licensed agent since their lecturers were on strike. He
worked every day except on Sundays when he visited his friends. On that
day, he went to see Kazeem and they were strolling around Ajara. There had been
a robbery in Ajara four days earlier; some of the residents were on the lookout
for strange faces. When the youths in the area saw two unknown young men,
they accosted them and an argument ensued. The youth called the head
of the vigilante group in the area, one Asiribo.
“Asiribo came to the scene with a locally-made
pistol and handcuffs. He handcuffed my son and his friend before asking
them questions. Later, it was decided that the boys be taken to the Baale,
Agano Oniyon of Agamade Ajara. But as they were going, Asiribo, while trying to
return his gun into its pouch, mistakenly shot himself in the stomach and
died. Asiribo’s death infuriated the youths, who blamed the boys for his death.
The mob picked up sticks and beat them to death. Policemen were there.”
Speaking the dismissal of the policemen,
a police source said: “They were nine policemen that were held. But eight were
dismissed. There is an Inspector, who is a pastor among the nine. He was the
last person to come to the scene on that fateful day. He tried to save the boys
from the mob, but failed. The trial took long because the accused policemen had
to go to provost; the file was forwarded to the Commissioner of Police. The CP
would have to review the case and forward the case file to the Inspector
General of Police (IGP). It usually takes time. There were three inspectors, three
sergeants and one corporal. I don’t know the rank of the last policeman.”
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