…Police, DPP
at logger heads
Juliana
Francis
 |
| Grace |
Grace, who
said that the police had simply put them through hell, wept that she was sadly
tired of the intrigues and politics.
According to
her, she didn’t understand why an upright young man like her son would be
dumped in prison for committing no crime. She explained that Richard was an
online marketing trainer and had no reason to kill the female lawyer.
She
disclosed that earlier, police detectives after an initial 90 days
investigation, while Richard languished in detention, had exonerated Richard,
but another set of policemen jumped into the case, re-arrested and moved him to
Force Headquarters Abuja, from there to prison.
Grace, who
opined that the Nigerian Police seemed to lack synergy in their job, stated
that her last option presently was to implore the IGP to instruct his men to
release Richard.
The frantic
mother also wishes the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to look into
the matter and save her son from possible harm or death in prison. Grace said
that she has heard too many uncomplimentary news about correctional centres and
feared the worst for her son.
Grace recalled
that Richard’s trouble was his connection to Joshua Usulor, who was
alleged to have murdered the female lawyer
at Ogba area of Lagos.
The matter
was first handled by Homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation
and Intelligence Department (SCIID), but Richard was later granted bail after
the detectives said that he was not found wanting in anyway.
Grace said:
"My son has being roped into a murder case, which he knows nothing about.
A female lawyer murdered last year at Ogba area of Lagos by Joshua Usulor.
Joshua was arrested by policemen from SCIID, Panti Yaba. During investigation, Police
discovered phone interactions between my son and Joshua on the suspect’s phone.
Joshua for reasons we couldn’t understand had mentioned Richard as the sponsor
of the murder of the lawyer. But some days later, he recanted his statement. He
told police he lied against Richard because he was angry with him. He said that
Richard owed him some money and had refused to refund him.”
According to
Grace, when the police came to arrest Richard, they shot sporadically into the
air, screaming, “Where are the dollars? Where is the Toyota Highlander?”
Grace and
her husband were in Edo State when the police came to arrest Richard. When the
couple heard about the arrest of their son, they dashed to Lagos.
She said: “We
rushed back to Lagos. My neighbours and children narrated how the police turned
the street into a war zone, shooting sporadically into the air. I was told they
almost shot my daughter, who was with Richard when the police came to make
their arrest. At the SCIID, the police discovered through the confessional
statement of Joshua that he lied against Richard. They granted him bail and
asked him to be reporting to SCIID every week.”
The woman
explained how Richard got to know Usulor, she said: “My son works with a
digital training company. He does training for people who are interested
in marketing. It was through a radio advert, which Richard did that Joshua got
to hear about the programme and came to register. He registered with N90, 000,
but didn’t come for the training. Later, he started disturbing my son, that he
should refund his money. Richard told him that the money has been paid into the
company's account. Richard promised to refund his money as soon as another
person comes to register for the programme with cash. Joshua said that he
couldn’t wait until another person pays, that he needed his money. He
threatened to deal with Richard.”
Richard,
while trying to convince Usulor that he had no money in his account for his
refund, sent him his account balance.
The woman recounted:
"It was while the interaction was going on between Richard and Joshua,
that the latter killed the lawyer. It was through the call log that the police
traced Richard’s phone line. But after investigation, SCIID discovered that Richard’s
interactions with Joshua was basically about lectures, and not associated with
the murder. Richard was granted. We were later shocked when SCIID told us that the
Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCIID) was interested in the case.
The Deputy Inspector-General in Charge of Investigation told us that the Police
were waiting for the Directorate of Public Prosecution's (DPP) advice. The DPP
advised that Richard should be released as he was not connected to the murder. After
freeing my son, the SCIID came again to re-arrest him. They said that they came
on the instructions of the new Commissioner of Police, who had just resumed
office. They said that a lawyer, who was the murdered woman’s husband, wrote a
petition to the CP. The Police re-arrested Richard and took him to Abuja. Right
now as I’m talking to you, Richard is at Nassarawa Prison without a trial.”
Grace said
that police should explain to her, what was Richard’s offence, especially since
Usulor had exonerated him from the
murder allegation.
She queried:
“Why are the Police not working with the DPP’s advice? Is the lawyer's husband
bigger than the Police and the DPP? My son has no connection with Joshua.
Richard has only met him twice. The first was when Joshua came to register at
IML Institute, where Richard lectures. The second was at the SCIID. Richard’s
conversation with Joshua was given to the police by his network service
providers. There was nothing linking their discussions to murder. My son has
suffered enough. Richard is a hardworking young man, who took to lecturing to
make ends meet, rather than to be idle. He spent 90 days in police detention
and is now in the prisons for a sin he did not commit.”
Grace urged
human activists, pro-bono lawyers and other well-meaning Nigerians to do
everything possible to help her so that, “an innocent person does not die for a
sin he did not commit.”
She noted: “I’m
also raising the alarm that my son's life is not safe in Nassarawa Prison. I
have been dreaming and having premonition that something sinister will happen
to him in the prison. Let the IGP prevail on those holding my son to release
him according to the DPP advice. We have spent money and time paying for flight
to and fro Abuja because the roads are bad. We pay for hotel accommodation. What
about the traumatic experience my family is going through?”
When journalists
visited SCIID, a senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
said: "Actually, we arrested Usulor for the murder of the female lawyer.
She was killed last year at Ogba. We saw some interactions between Richard and
the suspect, so we arrested him as well. But after investigation, we discovered
that Richard had no connection with the murder, so we allowed him to go. We
later got directives to bring him to Abuja. We have written report that Richard
has no connection with the murder. The DPP has also advised that Richard should
be set free. I’m shocked to hear that he’s in prison. The man is innocent.
The real suspect, Usulor, told us that he mentioned him out of anger. He said
that Richard owed him money. Later, he told the truth, that Richard was innocent.
Well, this is Nigeria. A top person is interested in the matter, but the truth
remains that Richard is innocent.”
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