The Family of Chief Nelson Diamond Yellowe, in Rivers State, is seeking compensation of N1 billion from the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for the alleged murder of their son, Solomon Yellowe, 27-year old final year student of the University of Port Harcourt,
The family which claimed that the said murder happened in March 2019 also demanded that prosecution of former Commander of the disbanded police unit in Rivers State, Akin Fakorede, and 4 other operatives of the unit.
Elder sister of the deceased, Mrs Annah West, told the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Police brutality sitting in Port Harcourt, on Thursday, that their son went missing on March 13, 2019, just for his corpse to be found University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary on April 26, 2019.
West said: “Basically, my brother was last seen on March 13, 2019, and he was reported missing by his colleagues in class . We began to look for him; we visited several Police stations and that i personally visited SARS twice. My brother and people also went there to seem for him. We were told that he was never in their custody.
“Now, on April 26, 2019, we found his body in UPTH Mortuary. He was deposited there by men of SARS, Rukpokwu, by a politician named Samuel Sunday. We got this information from his fellow detainee; someone who was once detained by SARS. that’s the person who told us the fate of our son and brother.
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“So, we are here to inform the entire world what happened to the present young man. My brother was a final year student of the University of Port Harcourt and of the school of Humanities. He was studying Christian and non secular Studies.
“We don’t have details of the conclusive investigation report. it had been not availed to the family which was a part of what we told the panel today.
“We are demanding justice. The one that deposited my brother’s body within the mortuary, his name is Samuel Sunday. As a part of the investigation, we acknowledged that he was within the company of 1 Mike, the team leader. There was another Friday Ikuku and there was Officer Wilson. Akin Fakorede was then the OC of SARS.
“We are demanding that these men be prosecuted to the complete extent of the law and damages be paid to the family. The panel may be a good place to determine what was done to the family.”
She accused operatives of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID) of collecting the sum of N300,000 to conduct an autopsy on Solomon’s corpse and other money for logistics to enable them to hold out an investigation, saying that a replica of the investigation report was never made available to the family.
Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Hon. Justice Chukwunenye Uriri (Rtd) later adjourned the interest Tuesday, December 1, 2020, for cross-examination of the witnesses and continuation of hearing.
The Panel dismissed two petitions, including that of the family of the late musician, Daniel Chibuike, popularly referred to as Sleek, because the matters were still pending before the courts while two others abandoned their petitions.
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