Ijaw accuse Police IG of complacency over Bayelsa killing

Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, has described the failure of Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, to respond to the killing of 20-year-old Emmanuel Victor by a policeman at a check-point in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, last week, as an embarrassment to Nigerians and the international community.

In a statement by Comrade Joseph Evah, the Ijaw group said the silence from the office of the Inspector-General is a confirmation of acceptance of such crime as part of Nigeria Police’s way of life.

The statement read: “When will the society regard the police as a friend when bad eggs within the system are not punished for crime against the society? The parents of this young promising boy must be assured that those who wasted his life must face justice.

“We expect the Inspector-General of Police to visit the family of the young man within two days and publicly set up a probe panel to assure the society that safety of lives and property are under police protection.”

The Ijaw group said if the Police fail to prosecute the killers, the matter will be referred to the United Nations Committee on Human Rights and Amnesty International.

He added that any attempt to label the innocent victim a criminal or unrepentant militant will be resisted.