CSOs demand Rivers CP’s suspension over suspect’s death

TRACKING____Some Civil Society Organisations in Rivers State, on Monday, demanded the suspension of the state Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, and other top cops in the state over the death of a suspect, Chima Ikwunado, in police custody.

The human rights groups also called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to intervene in the matter and ensure justice for the late Ikwunado.

It was gathered that Ikwunado, was arrested by the police on December 19, 2019, and tagged an armed robbery suspect and car snatcher, but he was allegedly tortured to death.

Though the state police command claimed that Ikwunado, who was arrested alongside four of his friends, died of high sugar level in his blood, his family insisted that he was hale and hearty before his arrest.

The Chairman, Rivers Civil Society Organisations, Enefaa Georgewill, decried the attitude of the state government towards the matter of Ikwunado, who was identified as a mechanic, and his four friends.

Georgewill warned that if the police and the state government failed to do the needful within two weeks, a mass action would be initiated.

He stated, “Our call and warning are that if the Rivers State Government, the police and the Federal Government refuse to do the needful in record time, we are going to continue our campaign online.

“Two weeks from now, if the Rivers State Government and the police fail to do the needful, we will be left with no other choice but to call for a mass action.

“We are going to declare a black Wednesday this week to call on every Rivers person and the world to put on black, take their photographs and post those pictures on their social media platforms.

“We are going to start collecting petitions on Friday, which will be submitted to the police and the Rivers State Government, stating our position on this matter.”

Georgewill accused the police of high-handedness in the performance of their duties and called on the Federal Government and the IG to intervene and ensure justice for the victims.