The police on Monday confirmed the death of Edward Dumsara Leera, whose brother, Confidence Leera, claimed was arrested on November 1, 2019.
An Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), David Ahmed Agbo, attached to the Inspector General of Police Intelligent Response Team (IGP-IRT) “D” Division at Itam in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, confirmed this when he was asked to account for Edward’s whereabouts.
Agbo spoke on Monday in Abuja before the Independent Investigative Panel (IPP) set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to probe allegations of rights violations by men of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other units of the police.
He explained that himself and others took Edward’s remains to the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary in Rivers State.
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Agbo was reacting to a petition filed by the deceased’s older brother, Confidence Leera, who had claimed that Edward unjustly arrested and subjected him to inhuman treatment by police officers in custody against court orders.
Edward’s 28-year-old wife, Peace, who was at the panel, cried when she heard that her husband had been killed.
Confidence also betrayed emotion.
The complainant’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, tendered documents, including a copy of the petition and court order directing the production of the victim in court.
He regretted that the police never obeyed the court order.
Giwa claimed that Agbo seized Edward’s ATM card, with which his (Agbo’s) agents allegedly withdrew various amounts of money from the deceased’s bank account.
The lawyer also tendered documents allegedly showing a transfer of N20,000 to Agbo’s account, and others evidencing the various withdrawals from the bank account of the deceased.
Agbo’s lawyer, Gabriel Uron Okpeta, informed the panel that he just filed a counter-affidavit while the panel was sitting yesterday as the defence of the respondents.
Confidence, while testifying before the panel on November 16, 2020, had said the police arrested Edward and detained him for no just cause, while his car was confiscated and converted to personal use by a policeman, identified as the IPO, David Ahmed Agbo, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
He claimed that Agbo now drives the car unlawfully seized from his brother.
The complainant alleged the policeman made cash withdrawals from his brother’s bank account between November 2019 and October 2020, using his ATM card.
Confidence informed the panel that the police asked his family to pay N3 million before Edward could be released.
According to him, he later instituted a suit for the enforcement of his fundamental rights, adding: “Subsequently, on December 17, 2019, the court ordered hearing of the application of Edward Dumisara Leera and delivered judgment in his favour and ordered immediate release of the said Edward.”
Confidence also said the order was served on the police but they allegedly refused to obey it.
Instead of complying with the court’s judgment of December 2019, the police allegedly filed a seven-count charge against Edward before Justice E. N. Ogbuji.
Confidence said the police neither produced Edward in court nor released him in accordance with the earlier court order.
He told the panel that it seemed the police had killed Edward and disposed of his body.
The deceased’s wife told reporters after the panel’s proceedings that she was barely one year in marriage and that her late husband never saw her pregnancy or their baby, only for her to be told that her husband had died.
She alleged that Agbo asked her to abort her pregnancy while she was pleading for the release of her husband.
Peace claimed that Agbo bragged that she would not see her husband again, having failed to pay N3 million he demanded for his release.
Further hearing in the matter was adjourned till January 11, 2020.
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