Police brutality: 500 police officers petition Judicial Panel of Investigation

Abasiofiok Inyang, Uyo

Over 500 retired police officers in Akwa Ibom State have sent a petition to the Judicial Panel of Investigation on Incidences police brutality sitting in Uyo.

In the petition number JPPP/MEMO/ 084, the retired police officers said that they are in the panel following non-payment of their contributory pension that they contributed over the years.

Represented by their counsel, Sunday Njoku Esq, the retired officers said that such acts by the management of the Nigeria Police Pension Scheme is one of the major causes of the ignominious acts by some bad eggs among the police force.

According to them: “The helpless situation of both serving and retired officers has been one of the major causes of the action of our men.

“They want to make it before they are out of service. Imagine saving for 35 years but get very little or nothing when they retired.”

Njoku further stated that the police are in the Panel to make useful contributions on police reform that will go a long way to help the public.

Meanwhile, the panel has frowned at the attitude of police officers invited to the panel saying that it would not hesitate to order an arrest of officer serving or retired who fails to appear before it.

Chairman of the Panel, Justice Ifiok Ukana said this when some police officers allegedly involved in the gruesome murder of one Blessing Alade in Iwuokpom, Ibeno Local Government Area in 2017.

Blessing’s corpse had yet to be buried for more than three years after death, while the medical pathologist, one Dr Emeka Nwafor that carried out autopsy on the deceased has failed to appear before the panel to honour the summon.

At the panel, the father of the deceased, Pastor Alade Jonathan told the panel how the police murdered his son Blessing in cold blood.