A petitioner, Hassan Sani Musa on Tuesday told the Independent Investigative Panel on the defunct SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police Force that in order to pacify his family after torturing his brother to death, the police presented food items and money to them.
Narrating the incident at the resumed panel on the 1st of March 2022, Hassan stated that on October 19th 2021, a police officer, ASP Ismail Aminu, in the company of his colleagues invaded his family house in Kofan Mata, Kano city.
According to him, they invaded the house at about 1am while they were laying in the front of the house due to intense heat which made inside the house uncomfortable. He narrated further that they arrested and detained his brother, late Saifullahi Sani Musa that night after the invasion.
According to Hassan, when the family visited the Police Station the following morning in order to bail Saifullah, they discovered that he had died.
Narrating further, the petitioner said the deceased family insisted that autopsy should be carried out at the Aminu Kano teaching hospital to ascertain the actual course of his death, but they were advised by the police to discontinue with the planned autopsy as the request for the autopsy was beginning to generate tension, because the unfortunate incident took place during the period of the EndSARS protest.
The family members were however assured by the police that the officers linked to the death of the Saifullah will be made to face the wrath of the law.
A witness, Ladi Hamza, aunt to the deceased, corroborated the testimony of the petitioner.
She went on to say that after the burial of her nephew, the police team led by ACP Ado Ibrahim visited the family of the deceased in the company of Kano State Government house officials with two bags of rice, cartons of spaghetti and fifty thousand Naira to appease the aggrieved family.
In addition, she said an offer of employment was extended to the elder brother of the deceased by the State Government.
Similarly, another witness, Khalid Nuhu informed the panel that while in the hospital with his sick sister at about 1:30am on the said day, he saw the deceased with the police at the hospital, and that he was severely beaten until he began to vomit blood.
"The following day, I was told he had died" said the witness.
The petitioner is requesting the sum of one hundred million naira only as compensation to the deceased family.
The matter was adjourned to Monday March 7th 2022 for continuation of hearing.
Meanwhile, counsel to the police, Kenneth Egbuchua promised that at the next adjourned date he would ensure that the respondents are before the panel.
