Family accuses police of extra- judicial killing in Benue

… demand  immediate release of son’s body with looted properties 

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

The family of Peter Onminyi  who was allegedly and brutally killed by men of the operation zenda  unit of the Benue State police  command, on Wednesday, cried out for justice and demanded for immediate release of the dead body of their son to the family for a decent burial according to Idoma traditional rites and custom.

They also seek for immediate release of the items evacuated from their house and make them have access to their home as they have been badly traumatized and tired of sleeping outside and uncompleted buildings and streets.

Peter Onminyi, 23, who hailed from Ijigban district in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State was said to have been brutally killed by police at about  8pm  on May 19, 2024 when the police allegedly invaded their residence located at Welfare Quarters  area of  Makurdi, the State capital.

Speaking to newsmen in Makurdi, on Wednesday, father of the deceased, Joseph Onminyi, who is a retired health worker from the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, said that his son was a complete gentleman who committed  no offence know to the family or the general public before police came to the  house to killed him.

Joseph Onminyi who was in company of his three children, also alleged that after the policemen invaded the house and shot his son to death, they also took the dead body, looted some of their home appliances and forcefully ejected the entire family members out of the house. 

The tearful old man explained that his son was eating  at the dining table on that fateful day, where the policemen jumped through the fence and started shooting sporadically and in the process, shot at the boy with food  in  his hands.

The septuagenarian said, “ I am Mr Joseph Onminyi, the father of the deceased, late Peter Onminyi whom the police shot to death on the 19th May 2024 in my own house not even outside.

“No reason was given by the police for their actions. They didn’t ask or tell anybody about the offence he committed, rather they just killed him while he was eating at the dining Hall.

“The police could not approach me, the father of the boy or ask any of my children sited with me in the room of what offence my son committed, they just jumped through the fence of my house and after entering the house, they started shooting sporadically and also shot at one of my sons who was eating at the dining table.

“Not only that, after shooting him, they took  him away and they evacuated all the home properties, including the radio, refrigerator, washing machine, gas cooker and  gas slider as well as two motorcycles and everything else in the house.

“I think this action could be seen and called armed robbery because they came unannounced and nobody was informed of what they came for. Whether they came to check anything or they came to investigate anyone, they didn’t say anything rather they shot and killed my innocent child.

“After killing him, the police still took his body away to an unknown destination. Up till this moment, I don’t know where my son’s lifeless body is. Not only that, the police still shutdown my house. They locked the entrance gate to my house, my house is still under lock and key since the incident happened in May this year.

“My family and I have been sleeping outside our comfort  home and in an uncompleted building. I therefore cry to the country Nigeria and the whole world at large to come to my aid and address the police brutality on innocent citizen”, Onminyi stated. 

He lamented that Police brutality in Nigeria has become too much, stressing that even when his son was not invited  by police for questioning of any crime and committed no offence of any crime or any kind, police came to the house and just shot him for no reason.

“I have instituted a case of breach of  human rights against the police authority,  but since May, the police authority is using their  power to delay the case in the court. They have refused to make appearances in the court, which means that the police have power and consider herself above the law not to appear in the law court.

“At first, we thought that those people who came to attack my house and killed my innocent child just disguised themselves as police, that police couldn’t behave the way they did, but after the innocent boy was killed , we started checking and moving around police stations in Makurdi.  Then  we saw that they were truly policemen because we saw some of the properties taken away from my house at the operation zenda office and we recognised those items.

“It was there that the police informed me through my lawyer that my son died and that they had deposited the corpse at the mortuary but they didn’t tell us which mortuary.

“As I speak with you, I have nowhere to stay. My wife and my few children are just roaming about the street. 

“I therefore called on the entire world to hear and see what the Nigeria police is doing to me and my family. Civil society organisations, human rights lawyers should please help me avail Justice  for my son.

“I sincerely appeal for urgent intervention of the chief justice of the federal high court to ensure speedy dispensation of justice in the delayed hearing on the case of this extra judicial killing of our son, Peter Onminyi by men of the Nigeria police”, he maintained.

When contacted, Benue State Command Police Public Relations Officer SP Catherine Anene, said that it was a case of someone involved in kidnapping and armed robbery.

“Am aware of the case which involves a boy who is into kidnapping. I think the police went there for arrest and in the process,  one of the boys started exchanging gunfire with the police and in the process, he was killed.

“However, I am not sure of the name but I will still get back to you. This happened around the welfare quarters in the Makurdi area. We will get back to you with full details, Anene stated.