National Youth Advocacy Against Injustice and Human Rights Abuse (NYAA-IHRA) has petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), urging him to order an investigation into the mysterious death of a University of Port Harcourt graduate of Microbiology, Omokinyeme Okubo, in the custody of the Ketu-Ejirin Division in Lagos.

The group also called on the Rivers State Government, National Assembly members from the Niger Delta states and the Ijaw Youth Council to take interest in the alleged gruesome murder of the victim while in police custody and demand investigation into the incident.

The 35-year-old victim, an indigene of Okarki community in the Ahoada-West Local Government Area of Rivers State, was the son of a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Aboye Okubo.

Omokinyeme, before his death, was working as a sales representative of Exus Pharmaceutical Nigeria Ltd and was at its office in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Okubo family had in July this year cried out for justice for Omokinyeme, alleging that he was tortured to death at the police station where his employers took him to, and he died.

According to NYAA-IHRA, in the petition to Tinubu and the NHRC, signed by the national coordinator, Fidelis Jones, the pharmaceutical firm owned by a Chinese national, Mr Zur-Yin, had arrested the deceased over shortage in his sales accounts and died in police custody.

While demanding justice for Omokinyeme, the group stated that despite the explanations offered by him for the shortage he was detained at the Ketu-Ejirin Police Division on the 18th of July, 2023 without contact with his family, and was allegedly tortured and murdered the next day.

The group also stated that the management of Exus Pharmaceutical Company Nigeria Ltd and the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ketu-Ejirin Division, CSP Awosinu Monday, in a desperate attempt to cover up the alleged murder of the victim, clandestinely dumped his corpse in the mortuary with bruises on his body.

NYAA-IHRA said, “Investigations by the family and the group showed that instead of the policemen at the Ketu-Ejirin, incidenting the death and depositing the corpse in the mortuary, it was one Pharmacist Osakwe, the Manager of the Chinese company, that deposited the corpse.”

“Six months after the arrest and brutal murder of the deceased, the management the Exus Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited has refused to formally inform the family of the circumstances that led to the arrest, detention and murder of their son.”

The group urged the president, NHRC, IYC, Rivers State Government and members of the National Assembly from the Niger Delta states to also insist on thorough probe of the death of a promising Niger Delta son by the Nigeria Police Force.

”We are accusing the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Lagos Commissioner of Police and the DPO of the Ketu-Ejirin Divisional Headquarters, CSP Awosinu Monday of conspiring with the the management of the Exus Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited to keep mum and engaged in cover-up of the incident.

“Serious of petitions have been addressed to the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police. We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation and bring police officers involved to book.

“We are calling on the NHRC and the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council, Worldwide, led by Jonathan Lokpobiri, to assist and secure justice for the brutalized soul of Omokinyeme Okubo,” he said.

Meanwhile, the father of the deceased, ACP Aboye Okubo, has again sent a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, insisting that “the personnel of the Exus Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited and the policemen involved in the torture and murder of his son be arrested and brought to justice.”

Okubo, in the petition and signed by his counsel, Yakub Dauda, said that ”when the sister of the deceased was called from the Ketu-Ejirin Police Post on his death, she noticed several bruises and deep cuts on his corpse.” (Daily Independent)

Update news