Cleric Seeks Justice For Slain Son In Warri

***He Is An Armed Robber, Says Police

***Rights Group Petitions IG, Alleges Assassination By Security Operatives

A cleric in Warri, Pastor Rex Bobo, has said that he will not relent until his murdered son, Efe Rex-Bobo, who was shot dead in cold blood along Jakpa Road, Effurun on Wednesday, the 27th of December, 2017 at about 6:30pm by Policemen attached to the Nigeria Police Station, Effurun, gets justice.

Late Efe Bobo

The deceased who is a National Diploma 1, Mechanical Engineering student of the Delta State Polythenic, Otefe-Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State and aged 25 years, married with a 5-year-old child, on the said day boarded a commercial tricycle from PTI Junction in Effurun to Jakpa Road, to see a colleague of his. When along Jakpa Road, they ran into a skirmish between two rival youths in the area, and in the pandemonium that ensued, Efe, like every other passenger trapped in the said skirmish had to alight from the said tricycle for safety.

According to the father of the deceased, it was in the process of running for safety that his late son was shot on the back by Policemen attached to the Nigeria Police Station Effurun, invited to maintain law and order in the area.

The narrative of the pastor also has it that in the morning of the 28th of December, 2017, he got an anonymous phone call from a Police Officer attached to the Nigeria Police Station, Ekpan who refused to disclose his name and phone number, to proceed to the said Police Station as his son was in their custody.

Pastor Rex however got the shock of his life when on getting to the said Police Station, he was informed by the Divisional Police Officer that the said deceased was not in their custody.

The following day, when the deceased was not forthcoming home, the father of the deceased, in company of other family members, visited several Police Stations and Clinics in Effurun and its environs in search of the deceased, all but to no avail.

Days later, the father of the deceased, out of curiosity, visited the Nigeria Police Station, Ekpan for the second time in search of his missing son and was then informed by the said Divisional Police Officer that the Police shot a young man along Jakpa Road on the 27th of December, 2017 during a youth crisis in the area, and thereafter advised the father of the deceased to visit the Central Hospital, Warri where the corpse was deposited by the Police to ascertain the identity of the said corpse.

Upon visiting the Central Hospital, Warri, the father of the deceased identified the said corpse to be that of his son with gunshot on his back.

On returning to the said Police Station, the father of the deceased demanded for the corpse of his son, so that members of his family could inter same, but was denied his request, as the Police boss accepted, on the condition that the father of the deceased would not make any trouble with the Police.

The father of the deceased was thereafter advised to come the next day for the corpse.

According to the father of the deceased, when he called the police station the following day, the Divisional Police Officer informed him that his slain son was an armed robber killed by his men along Jakpa Road on the 27th of December, 2017, and that the case had been transferred to the State CID, Asaba.

For this reason, the corpse was not released to the family of the deceased.

The law firm of Ikimi Oghenejabor, at the time of filing this report had written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, for an unbiased and independent investigation of the above complaint of the family of the deceased, and for the corpse of the deceased to be released to the father of the deceased forthwith from wherever the said corpse is kept or buried.

Oasis Magazine (OM) is yet to get a response from the Delta Police Command, as the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Andrew Aniamaka promised to get back to us on the matter.

Until his death, Efe lived with his wife and child at Otokutu Town in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

By Dafe Rukevwe