A police witness in the case of alleged extrajudicial killing of one Uchenna Dike at the ongoing Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Human Rights Violations by the Defunct Special Anti Rubbery Squd and other Units of the Nigerian Police Force (IIP-SARS), Wednesday stalled hearing before the panel as he failed to produce evidence earlier promised.
Inspector Kumode Ozovehe, a Police Officer who is the first defence witness, had in his testimony before the panel, cried foul over contradiction in the narration made by the petioner at the panel and her husband at Dutse Police station Abuja on the same matter.
As further proof of his claim, Ozovehe, promised to avail the panel with a copy of the statement written by Dr Dike Chinedu Elvis at the Police station over the death of his son, Uchenna, which allegedly contradicts his wife’s testimony at the panel.
But when the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, Ozovehe was said to be out of jurisdiction.
Reacting to the absence of Ozovehe, counsel to the Police, Fidelis Ogbobe Esq, lamented that his inability to produce the document as promised, is sad “since that was the only item that would have helped his defense”.
According to Ogbobe, “the document speaks for itself”.
It would be recall that in an earlier testimony, Mrs Ijeoma Dike ( petitioner) had accused the police of killing her son, Uchenna Dike.
Mrs Dike said her son was shot and killed by the Police when she sent him on an errand not far from her shop in Dutse, a suburb in Abuja, on October 20, 2020, when some youths clashed with Personel of the Nigeria Police Force in an EndSARS protest.
Dr Garba Tetengi SAN, representative of the Chairman of the panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima rtd, in his ruling, adjourned the matter to March 28 2022 for adoption of written addresses.
