A civil rights organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), is insisting on death penalty for alleged killer of Sharkoor Zaid, the trigger-happy police officer, Inspector Sanni Godwin Ogedengbe. The officer was alleged to have gruesomely murdered Zaid in 2015 at the Lagos State Police Command Cell. Ogedengbe, the group noted, is attached to the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) Magbon, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

A press statement issued and signed by the Executive Chairman of the group, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, said the call is informed by the confessional statement made by Inspector Ogedegbe before the sitting of the Southwest Zonal Panel of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) held at the State High Court building in Ikeja between November 13 and 17, 2018 in Lagos State.

“On Friday November 16, 2018, Ogedengbe made a confessional statement of masterminding the killing of Late Zaid during the cross examination by the Commission's Director of Legal Services and Enforcement and as well admitted that Late Sharkoor Zaid was shot dead by him (Ogedengbe).

“Ogedegbe further confessed during the cross-examination that Zaid’s body was deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary.”

The statement noted that concurring with NHRC, “It will shock any human being with milk of human kindness to note that the same Inspector Ogedengbe also committed another extrajudicial killing of one Mr. Atiba Sunday in the left leg at Ogijo Police Station, on Thursday June 22, 2017 before Atiba was illegally detained for almost twenty-one days without having access to any his family members, not to talk of his lawyer.

“And during this period of illegal incarceration, Atiba Sunday did not have access to any medical treatment. Aso Ogedengbe further detained another seven innocent citizens for two months and nine days illegally from the 17th day of April to 26th June 2015 in the Police cell.

“But Ogedengbe was forced to charge the alleged suspects to a Magistrate Court with a Police Charge Sheet No: CR/MI8c/H/18/17/2015 where he threatened to shoot a woman with three months old pregnancy, Adejoke Awoleru.”

The statement also alleged that Ogedengbe used his wife’s (Karunwi Rasidat’s) GTB Bank account number (0130693409) to extort and defraud the unsuspecting detainees and their people, and also maltreated an old woman, Mrs. Jumoke Zaid, after killing her son.

“The Deponent in the Court Affidavit in Support of Motion on notice in Suit No: ID/1525mb/2017, signed on September 12, 2017, stated that a victim, Late Sharkoor Zaid, who was a self-employed cobbler that was well known within Ijora-Badia community and its environs, was illegally arrested on April 16, 2015 at 32, Afolabi Alasia, Ijora-Badia Lagos.

His mother, Mrs. Jumoke Zaid, is a trader of No. 67, Osogbo Street, Itire Ijesha Lagos.

Reacting to the development, CHRSJ advocated for an unbiased justice in the expected report of the National Human Rights Commission Panel.

“We propose for capital punishment either by hanging, firing squad or life imprisonment against Inspector Godwin Ogedengbe for using his uniform to commit murder by making jungle justice on innocent citizens without following the rule of law and due process.”

Supporting its claim, CHRSJ made reference to the Criminal Procedure Act in the Case of Udo Ndo v. Queen 15 police officers, who shot and killed an unarmed escapee prisoner, and was convicted of murder for using excessive force.

Sulaiman, who said that anyone who pelts another with pebble asked for the rock in return, noted that if this dastardly act of Ogedengbe persists, it may spell an imminent danger in the country, and referred to the Holy Quran in Surathul-Nizhai Ch4 vs 92-93 and the Bible in Genesis 9vs6.

“This will serve as a deterrent to other lawless uniformed men and women who have the same idiosyncratic tendencies in their mind to kill a fellow human being and if given the opportunity to rise to the higher rank, may become serious threat to the society,” he said, adding: “All we want in this country is a refined, resourceful and disciplined law enforcement agencies.”

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