Attempted murder: Victim seeks compensation, police dismissal

A victim of police brutality in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ogbonna Issofia, has written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, against a policeman, identified as Shedrack, who shot him in the stomach.

Southern City News learnt that Shedrack who was in a vehicle inscribed with ‘Tower of Ivory’ conveying Mrs. Dorathy Ekpoudom, wife of a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Udom Ekpoudom and few other women, when he jumped down and ordered Issofia to remove the cartons that were used to block the road or be killed.

While Issofia was trying to explain to Shedrack that he was not the one that kept the empty cartons there, he (Shedrack), shot Issofia directly on his stomach.

In a petition addressed to Idris by Issofia’s lawyer, Mr. Ugochukwu Ezekiel of E. H Ugochukwu Chambers on December 25, 2017, he said their brief with Issofia revealed that on December 16, 2017 at about 5:30pm, their client, a trader at 230 Ikot Ekpene Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State observed that a vehicle belonging to Umar Ukpai Convention broke down on the busy Ikot Ekpene Road.

Speaking with our correspondent in Uyo on Friday, Ezekiel said further investigation revealed that the breakdown of the truck led to a gridlock causing impatient road users to drive into the nearby premises in an effort to access the highway and avoid the truck that blocked the road.

Ezekiel added that in order to forestall destruction of his property, the owner of a nearby shop used empty cartons to block the entrance to his premises.

“We were further informed that few minutes after the cartons were placed in front of the premises, a vehicle with the inscription “Tower of Ivory” conveying Mrs. Dorathy Ekpo Udom and few other women approached the blocked entrance and a policeman (Shedrack) in the vehicle, jumped down and ordered our client to remove the empty cartons or he would kill him.

“While our client was still attempting to explain to Shedrack that he was not the one that kept the empty cartons, he pulled the trigger and shot our client directly on his stomach.

“Upon shooting our client and taking him to be dead, he jumped into the vehicle and fled the   scene. It took the intervention of good spirited individuals who intervened and rushed our client to the hospital,” he said.

He explained that based on the above stated facts, they call on Idris to use his good offices to dismiss Shedrack from the Police Force to face prosecution if found culpable and to carry on a thorough investigation into the matter. They also asked that the the victim’s hospital bills, be offset.

He said, “We demand payment of compensation to our client for the injury sustained, which may lead to permanent incapacitation, immediate transfer of our client to a better hospital and payment of all hospital bills.”

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Bala Elkana, said he was not aware of the petition but was aware of the case

He said, “We are investigating the case. He is just in a hurry. Our duty is to investigate and prosecute if he is found guilty.”