Family rejects police N.3m compensation for dead vulcaniser

SEVEN months after Mr. Chikwendu Ibekwe died in the police
custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Umuahia,
the Abia State capital, his family is still crying for justice over
his death.

It was learnt that the family rejected the sum N310,000 offered
to them by the police as compensation for Ibekwe’s death.

Ibekwe, a 42-year-old vulcaniser, who hailed from Umuobiakwa
Nsirimo in Umuahia South Local Government of Abia State, was
arrested on April 6, 2017 for allegedly buying a stolen tyre.

It was gathered that the deceased was initially detained at the
Ubakala Police Station before he was transferred to D7, where he
reportedly died after falling sick.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Geoffrey
Ogbonna, had in an interview with Southern City News in April said
that the deceased was arrested because the vehicle of a kidnapped
victim was traced to his workshop.

Ogbonna added that while in detention, the deceased became
aggressive and started hitting himself on the wall of the cell
before he became sick and was taken to the police clinic where he
died.

The deceased’s family, however, said they had not received fair
treatment from the Nigeria Police Force in whose custody their son,
who left behind a widow and two children, died.

An uncle of the deceased, Alozie, who spoke with Southern City
News, said the family felt embarrassed at the amount of money that
the police offered them as compensation after seeking an amicable
resolution of the matter.

He said, “The last meeting we had with the police was in August
when they said we should cost what it would take to bury our
brother, but we told them that we cannot cost it because the
deceased had a family, his children, wife and aged parents that
were relying on him before he died.

“We told them to do the costing themselves since they want us to
settle amicably.

“In the month of September, they invited us and they said they
had N310,000 to give, but we rejected the offer. We told them that
the amount cannot handle the burial, let alone give something to
the deceased’s family.

“We told them to go back to their drawing board and organise
themselves. For now, that is where we are. Since then, they have
not called us to tell us anything again.

“I have requested that we should be allowed to see the new
Commissioner of Police for us to negotiate with him, but the
officers handling the matter said no. They claimed that the new
Commissioner of Police does not know anything about this
matter.”

Alozie said what the family wanted was for the police to foot
the burial bill of the deceased and to give a reasonable amount of
money to the family that he left behind, so that the education of
his children would not suffer.

He said, “There is no amount of money given to us that will be
able to bring our brother back to life. All we are after is to make
sure that they release the corpse for us to bury.

“They should arrange for the casket, ambulance and pay the
mortuary bills, then give his widow something to continue with
life.”

SEVEN months after Mr. Chikwendu Ibekwe died in the police
custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Umuahia,
the Abia State capital, his family is still crying for justice over
his death.

It was learnt that the family rejected the sum N310,000 offered
to them by the police as compensation for Ibekwe’s death.

Ibekwe, a 42-year-old vulcaniser, who hailed from Umuobiakwa
Nsirimo in Umuahia South Local Government of Abia State, was
arrested on April 6, 2017 for allegedly buying a stolen tyre.

It was gathered that the deceased was initially detained at the
Ubakala Police Station before he was transferred to D7, where he
reportedly died after falling sick.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Geoffrey
Ogbonna, had in an interview with Southern City News in April said
that the deceased was arrested because the vehicle of a kidnapped
victim was traced to his workshop.

Ogbonna added that while in detention, the deceased became
aggressive and started hitting himself on the wall of the cell
before he became sick and was taken to the police clinic where he
died.

The deceased’s family, however, said they had not received fair
treatment from the Nigeria Police Force in whose custody their son,
who left behind a widow and two children, died.

An uncle of the deceased, Alozie, who spoke with Southern City
News, said the family felt embarrassed at the amount of money that
the police offered them as compensation after seeking an amicable
resolution of the matter.

He said, “The last meeting we had with the police was in August
when they said we should cost what it would take to bury our
brother, but we told them that we cannot cost it because the
deceased had a family, his children, wife and aged parents that
were relying on him before he died.

“We told them to do the costing themselves since they want us to
settle amicably.

“In the month of September, they invited us and they said they
had N310,000 to give, but we rejected the offer. We told them that
the amount cannot handle the burial, let alone give something to
the deceased’s family.

“We told them to go back to their drawing board and organise
themselves. For now, that is where we are. Since then, they have
not called us to tell us anything again.

“I have requested that we should be allowed to see the new
Commissioner of Police for us to negotiate with him, but the
officers handling the matter said no. They claimed that the new
Commissioner of Police does not know anything about this
matter.”

Alozie said what the family wanted was for the police to foot
the burial bill of the deceased and to give a reasonable amount of
money to the family that he left behind, so that the education of
his children would not suffer.

He said, “There is no amount of money given to us that will be
able to bring our brother back to life. All we are after is to make
sure that they release the corpse for us to bury.

“They should arrange for the casket, ambulance and pay the
mortuary bills, then give his widow something to continue with
life.”