The Police in Nassarawa State have been
accused of killing a 300-Level student of Economics at Kaduna State University
while he was in detention.
The deceased, Femi
Bello had just finished his second semester exams, with the hope of proceeding
to his final year, when he was killed.
Bello was allegedly
arrested when he went to visit a friend and taken to the police station.
By the time his mother
and younger brother got information of his arrest and went to the police
station, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of the station told
them, “Him don die.”
Barrister Nanpon Wuyep
of Sterling Law Centre, who is battling to get justice for the deceased, said
that the DPO informed him and the deceased family that Bello allegedly
confessed to owning a gun he kept somewhere in Bwari and that while they were
taking him in the police van in handcuffs, somewhere around ‘sharp corner’ in
Mararaba, he jumped out of the moving van.
The police said they
rushed Bello to the Medical Centre in Mararaba but could not be saved because
the medical workers were on strike.
The police alleged that
they took him to a private hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
But in another twist, contrary to the story
the DPO had told the lawyer earlier, Cletus, the
Officer in Charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Nasarawa, informed them that the
case was that of armed robbery and that Bello was killed during a gun battle
between the robbers and police.
Wuyep said “The family
strongly believes that Bello was arrested on trumped up charges and was
tortured to death while trying to secure a confession and have written to the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa
State, requesting a full report of the circumstances leading to the arrest and
eventual death of Bello.
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