By Chizoba Ogbeche
Abuja
The family of a young man, Ibrahim Ishmail, who died in Police custody while being detained for allegedly raping of his elder brother’s wife, has petitioned the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police (CP) Mohammed Mohammed, requesting investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The family through its counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Danjuma Darazo, in the petition dated April 17, 2015, written on behalf of the family from the chambers of D. M. Abejeme & Partners and signed by Barrister Darazo, stated that the deceased was on April 7, 2015 brought to the Darazo Divisional Police Station by his elder brother, Sale Yunusa, on the invitation of the police, adding that since then he was in detention till he passed on.
According to the petition, the deceased was alleged to have enticed his brother’s wife, saying that, “based on that report, the said Isma’il was detained by the police for more than 24 hours without being charged to the court as r
equired by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
It also stated that the DPO in charge of Darazo Division had concluded that the late Ibrahim was guilty of the offence he was alleged to have committed when he said in the presence of his brother that, “he (DPO) will beat him to the extent that if he (Ibrahim) sees a lady he will not bother to entice her, meaning that he will castrate him,” adding that the DPO had no power whatsoever to do so unless by a court of competence jurisdiction.
“The mission of the said DPO was accomplished by not only castrating him but by eliminating him on earth. Such statements and the act of torture by the police is unconstitutional, illegal and contravened United Nations Convention against Torture, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and above all violated Section 34(1) if the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
According to the petition, based on pressure from the family, a postmortem examination was conducted on the deceased at the Abubakar Tafwa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) on Friday, April 10, 2015, adding that since then, the Investigating Police Officers (IPO) in charge of the case, Aboki Moses and Muhammed Labaran and the DPO had refused to collect the report, which the hospital said would be ready by Monday, April 13, 2015.
While requesting the police boss to furnish them with update on the death of the late Ibrahim, the family stated that as a law-abiding family, it was not willing to take law into its hands and expressed the hope that the commissioner would use his good office to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring those involved in what it termed “inhuman, barbaric and unconstitutional act” to book.
When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Haruna Mohammed, claimed he was not aware of the petition so could not comment on it.
Blueprint gathered that though the Police claim they have not collected the medical report, senior officers in the command are in the know of the result which reportedly stated that the deceased was brought into the hospital dead.
Our source, a senior Police officer at the command who spoke on condition of anonymity, also stated that on the strength of the petition by the family the CP has directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the matter.