The tragic killing of lawyer Elias Ugwu by the police in Kogi State has been condemned as reckless and unjustifiable by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Afam Osigwe.
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Ugwu lost his life after successfully retrieving his kidnapped relative by paying ransom to the kidnappers. The Kogi State Police Command admitted that the fatal bullets that killed Ugwu were fired by the police.
Osigwe expressed his unacceptable stance on the police’s explanation that they shot at the vehicle because the driver zoomed off when ordered to stop. He stated that the killing cannot be justified, and it is not enough to shoot at a vehicle that has posed no threat to the lives of the policemen simply because the driver allegedly refused to stop.
“If indeed, there was a need to shoot at the vehicle (which I do not concede), the same should have been done in a way to disable the car without hurting or killing the occupants,” Osigwe said.
The Senior Advocate pointed out that the admission of complicity by the Kogi State Police Command is a damning acknowledgment of a grave error that has cost an innocent life. It portrayed the police as acting without regard to ensuring the safety of the occupants and showed a mindset that the occupants of the vehicle were the alleged bank robbers and therefore deserved to be killed.
Osigwe emphasized that Elias Ugwu was not a member of any armed robbery gang, and there was no indication he was a robber or armed. He stated that even unarmed robbers deserve their day in court and ought not to be killed in the manner that Elias met his death.
The Senior Advocate called for an immediate and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ugwu’s death, questioning the nature of training given to police officers, the rules of engagement governing their activities, and the chance for law enforcement agencies to paint a picture that death in such circumstances is in order.
Osigwe demanded a swift and impartial investigation to identify and hold accountable all those responsible for this egregious act of violence. He called on the relevant authorities to institute measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, emphasizing that law enforcement agencies must be held to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.
The Senior Advocate expressed his condolences to Ugwu’s family, friends, and colleagues, particularly the NBA Nsukka branch.
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