A middle-aged man, Mr. James Kwatri, has been reported dead but the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Deborah Kwatri, alleged that her husband was killed in police custody.

According to the mother of four, “the police asked me to pay N16,000 for bail which I paid but my husband was not released.”

A tearful Deborah told our correspondent in Yola that she strongly believes her husband was tortured to death while in police custody.

It was gathered that her husband was arrested on Friday 18 after one Nuhu Musa Garta, lodged a complaint against him at Shagari divisional police station in the Yola South Local Government Area.

The widow informed that her late husband was managing an alcoholic beverage shop for Mr. Garta, who is an Area Court judge.

Narrating how it all happened, a neighbour of the deceased, Usman Gorko told journalists that the community strongly suspects foul play in the circumstances that led to the death of Kwatri.

“Actually, on Friday 18th November, Mrs. Deborah Kwatri came to inform me that her husband was arrested by the police following a complaint against him by Nuhu Musa Garta, an Area court judge.

“I enquired to know what was the issue, and she explained that her husband manages an alcoholic beverage shop for the judge; I advised her to be patient, we’ll intervene when it becomes necessary.

“On Tuesday, the 22nd of November, I returned from work only to see a gloomy neighbourhood; and I was told that some police officers, a woman police and a male colleague, one Inspector Isa, brought the dead body of Baban Friday on a commercial tricycle.

“As according to his widow, when they came and laid his remains on the ground, they instructed her to sprinkle water on him; pretending that he merely fainted.

“I insisted to know what happened because she (the deceased person’s wife) had informed me that she was asked to pay N16,000 bail money, which she sold a bag of rice to raise and gave to an officer identified as Inspector Isa.
(Nigerian Tribune)

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