The family of late Chibuike Edeh, a worker with Protea Hotel, Benin, has petitioned the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Samuel Adegbuyi, over the death of their son.The lawyer to the aggrieved family, Mr. Raphael Okhuelegbe, of Raphael Okhueleigbe and Co., told PUNCH Metro that his client wanted a thorough investigation into the matter and the culprit brought to justice.
Okhueleigbe, in the petition dated March 16, 2015, also copied the Assistant Inspector-General of Police Zone 5, Benin; the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and the Nigerian Bar Association, Benin branch.
He also said the father, mother and brother of the deceased had made their separate statements to the police.
The death of the 27-year-old victim had sparked a protest at the premises of the Protea Hotel, Benin, after his corpse was found at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, a few days after he was arrested by officers from the Adesuwa Police Division for allegedly stealing N48,000 from one of the rooms in the hotel.
According to the family of the victim, his bail application could not be granted last Saturday, as “the IPO was on special duty because of the visit of Mrs. Patience Jonathan to Edo State.”
It noted that later, when the members returned to the station to secure the bail, they were told that Chibuike Edeh was dead.
The Edo State Police Command had explained that the late man was crushed by a vehicle on Sapele Road as he tried to escape from the police when he was led to the area to recover the stolen money.”
The father, Mr. Raphael Edeh, had told our correspondent that he believed that his son was tortured to death, adding that the accident was merely a cover-up.
The petition read in part, “It is our brief that, the last place our client’s family members saw Chibuike Edeh was Adesuwa Police Division, where he was in police custody. All efforts made to ascertain what led to the death of Chibuike Edeh had proved abortive.”
A statement signed by its spokesperson, Joseph Edoighiawerei, said, “The command is aware of the petition written by the lawyer of the deceased suspect. The case of stealing, fatal motor accident and the petition by the lawyer of the deceased have been transferred to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.”
