From Ben Dunno
A group, Victims Right Protection Initiatives (VRPI), has called for a thorough investigation into the remote and immediate causes of death of a 24-year-old upcoming artist, Paul Obukohwo, while in police custody, in order to establish the truth in the claim and counter-claim on the cause of death by the Delta State Police Command and the deceased’s family.
The body, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr Kingsley Ndukwe, has therefore called for the setting up of a tripartite panel, comprising the deceased’s family, the police, and representatives of civil society groups in the state to conduct an extensive inquest into the cause of death.
The body noted that it is by so doing that the ongoing claims and counter-claims in the public space can be verified and all the suspicions of alleged cover-ups and false accusations on both sides can finally be laid to rest, and by so doing promote public trust and confidence in the law enforcement agency.
It warned that further promotion of the ongoing speculations, allegations, and falsehoods on the cause of his death would only continue to aggravate tensions and bring additional pain to the family of the deceased.
“We, the members of the above-named body, have been following this incident since early Saturday when it happened. We noted the claim of the deceased’s family and taken into account the defence by the Police, and we have come to the realisation that only a tripartite panel can resolve this issue objectively,” the statement read.
“Only a panel made up of the two parties involved and a neutral body, in the civil society group, can do justice in unravelling the circumstances of his death, and whatever are the findings of such a panel should be binding on everyone and also correct the claims and counter-claims over his death in the public space.”
“We, however, want to use this opportunity to commiserate with the family of the deceased. We pray God grants his loved ones, especially his parents, the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss and may God grant his soul eternal rest,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, another group, Warri Urban Security Network (WUSN), has also canvassed the need for the police to make available medical forms where suspects would be made to provide detailed information about their health status before being detained at any police station in the country.
In a statement signed by Chief Frank Onoriode and Barrister Dafe Okpako, Chairman and Secretary respectively, the body noted that having an idea of the suspect’s health status before being detained would afford the law enforcers the knowledge to know the kind of treatment that should be meted out to the suspects while in detention.
“The demise of this 24-year-old upcoming artist, Paul Obukohwo, should be an eye-opener to the police on the need to have a medical status of all suspects being detained in cells so as to avoid such unfortunate incidents, as we have come to realise that many suspects have underlying ailments unknown to the police,” it stated.
It would be recalled that since the early hours of Saturday when the sad news of the victim’s death while in the custody of operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) attached to Delta Command went viral on social media, there have been conflicting reports on the remote and immediate cause of his death.
While the Command’s spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, said the deceased, while in detention for less than 16 (sixteen) hours, exhibited signs of weakness and was taken to Police Hospital, Asaba, where he was diagnosed with hypoglycaemia (low sugar), adding that due to the severity of his condition, he was referred to Asaba Specialist Hospital and later referred to Federal Medical Centre Asaba, where he died while receiving treatment.
The deceased’s family, on the other hand, claimed that he was subjected to the worst inhumane treatment by the RRS operatives who handcuffed, tortured, and inflicted severe internal injuries on him with the wood with which he was beaten for several hours before he started showing signs of weakness that led to his death.