One Lucky Enyidah whose petition was struck out by the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into police brutalities has expressed sadness that his petition bothering on the invasion to his house in Omerelu community, Ikwerre local government area on 2nd June 2019 and the setting ablaze of the property by police officers was not entertained.
Enyidah said that fire set by the officers caused the death of his ninety-year-old grandmother, Comfort Enyidah who was unable to escape during the invasion and was burnt beyond recognition.
“It was around 10 pm on 2nd June 2019, that scores of armed Police Officers invaded my compound. There was no invitation nor petition prior to the invasion. I happened to see them on time and I took to my heels to save my life. They broke my door and that of my tenant brought out all the property in my tenant’s apartment.
“Just in a twinkle of an eye, they set our house ablaze and my grandmother was lying inside, nobody was able to rescue her because we all ran for our dear lives. It pained me that she burnt to ashes, only her skull was left.
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“After the incident, we wrote to the Commissioner of Police Rivers State, we have written to Inspector General of Police, Human Right Commission Abuja and that of Rivers State. We have made several attempts to ensure that the perpetrators of the act were apprehended, nothing has been done by the Police, and the Police till date have not told us why they carried out such inhumane act on my family.
“When we heard that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Police brutality has been set up by Governor Nyesom Wike, we also filed a petition for us to get justice. It baffles me that the petition which was slated for hearing on 19th January 2021, was called up on 18th January 2021, and the panel struck out the matter for not being present at the Commission that 18th.
“The Nigerian Bar Association NBA wrote to the Panel to reinstate the matter, which they reinstated and fixed hearing on 26th January 2021, we have been in the panel since morning, and the Chairman of the Commission Justice Uriri Chukwuneye struck out the matter for the second time, with a reason that the Police Commission was not written privately.
“I don’t know what he has against the matter that he denied us fair hearing”
