The Police high command in Abuja yesterday said that it had concluded investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 200 level mass communications student of the Cross River State University Joy Odama who allegedly died in the hands of one Alhaji Usman Adamu.
The Police who dismisses the claim by the deceased family it was intimidating star witnesses in the case to effect changes in their earlier written statements gave an assurance that it would not be swept under the carpet.
The family had in a statement, accused the police of threatening the principal witnesses in the alleged murder case to change statements earlier written upon report of the case to the security agency in December, when the student died but the police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, while briefing newsmen on the murder case disagreed with the deceased family on their claim.
Augustine Okechukwu President, Basic Rights Enlightenment Foundation, BREF in a statement release on behalf of the Odama said “the police in her characteristic manner has covertly deployed another twist to pervert the cause of justice and a coercive deception in the mysterious death of the late Joy Odama. In a seeming bid to forestall the obvious truth surrounding this gruesome murder, the police high command has threatened the star witnesses, Martha Hassan and father, Victoria Ezekiel and father, plus Elizabeth, with arrest and subsequent detention if they fail to appear at Force Headquarters, Abuja, to give a fresh statement. When the threats from the Investigation Police Officer (IPO), Force Monitoring Unit, became unbearable and unwholesome, Victoria and her father, Mr. Ezekiel, had to succumb to the pressure and reported at Force Headquarters where Victoria was detained for over eight hours because she refused to either alter her statement or write a fresh one. The police kept threatening her until she was made to sign a doctored statement from the police before bail was granted late in the night on Wednesday 21st June, 2017. It is noteworthy here that Victoria and her father were not even allowed to go through the statement before appending her signature. The Nigeria Police having failed in their futile attempts at the National Hospital to alter the re-conducted autopsy result is again engaging in all manner of clandestine tactics and outright maneuvering to divert attention to kill the truth in this case. “We are calling on the Federal Government, Cross River State Government, National Assembly, Nigerian Bar Association, Federation of International Women Lawyers, Nigerian Union of Journalists, and Civil Societies, human rights activists, religious bodies, clergies, public spirited individuals and the world at large to monitor the exercise.”
Moshood while briefing Journalists said “There is nothing like that. We didn’t threaten anybody and it is not good trying to cast aspersions on investigation. The investigation is thorough and the police will not sweep anything under the carpet. We are doing just investigation. You know the real autopsy report is out now and we are going to seek legal advice from the DPP and prosecute those who are culpable. Anybody involved in the matter, the police is not the judge, the court will determine and they shouldn’t before taking the matter to court begin to cast aspersions on police investigation. We are not threatening anybody”.
