A petitioner, Francis Awulu, has told the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, that he was asked to pay N1, 000 as a “gate fee” every time he visited his late brother in the who was in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
The Independent Panel of the NHRC is investigating alleged human rights violations by the disbanded SARS and other units of the police force.
Awulu while testifying on a petition by his family, accused the police of killing his brother, Emmanuel, despite collecting N60, 000 from him.
In the petition which was filed against Insp. Cletus Atuma, FCT Commissioner of Police, Inspector-General of Police and some other SARS operatives, Awulu told the panel that Insp. Atuma and other SARS officers beat his brother beyond recognition and killed him at the SARS headquarters.
Counsel to Atuma, Uche Uwazuruonye, recalled that the deceased, a poultry farmer, was arrested on August 20, 2019, by Atuma at about 2a.m. in Gwagwalada, FCT.
“Immediately my brother was taken into custody, he was denied access to his family and until he died.
“For every visit, we were asked to pay N1, 000 as gate fee to get to where my brother was detained unlawfully which did not yield any result.
“On one of my visits, one Insp Wisdom advised me to pay N4 million to make sure that I get a listening ear from the SARs ogas.
“I told him I could not afford such an amount. He collected the N8,000 I had on me. After the payment, Atuma informed me that my brother was a cultist.
“After much negotiation, Aruma demanded money and I gave him N60,000 for the release of my brother. On Aug. 26, 2019, we were told that Emmanuel had died,” he said.
Awulu, pleaded with the panel to order compensation from the police for being responsible for his younger brother’s death, who he said was the breadwinner of the family, with six dependents.
“We also pray the panel to ensure that the perpetrators of this inhumane act are punished,” he added.
In his ruling, Chairman of the panel, rtd Justice Suleiman Galadima, however adjourned the hearing until April 16 for cross-examination.
