POLICE BRUTALITY: FAMILY OF SLAIN 37-YEAR-OLD, CALLS FOR JUSTICE
Written by Samson Ojeniran on November 24, 2021
Taraba State Police Command says it has apprehended a Sergeant responsible for the shooting one Oliver Ezra, at a checkpoint in the suburb of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
The victim died from the gunshot injuries, sparking outrage from family and acquaintances, in the Mile 6 area of Jalingo.
Residents of Jalingo woke up on Tuesday morning to a social media campaign, with the hashtag, “Justice for Oliver.”
It was over the shooting of a 37-year-old, Oliver Ezra, last week Friday, by trigger-happy police personnel at a checkpoint in the suburb of Jalingo.
The victim succumbed to the gunshot injuries in the early hours of Tuesday, in a hospital, igniting calls for justice for him, on social media, and later offline, with family and acquaintances staging a protest to the Taraba State Government House, to seek the intervention of the state government on the incident.
The deceased was said to be driving his boss, the Chairman of Lau Local Government Area when an altercation ensued, between him and a Police Sergeant, at the Kpantinapu Checkpoint, which led to him being shot by the police personnel.
The Commissioner of Police, Taraba State Police Command, Adeniran Adewale, says the erring officer has been apprehended and assured that justice will be served speedily after the investigation is concluded.
He also condoled the family of the deceased, where he described the death as unfortunate.
The Nigeria Police Force has had its share of allegations of brutalizing innocent citizens, which culminated in the EndSars protest last year, with demands that included, identifying and prosecuting police officers accused of brutality.
