Police haven’t paid me N200m for killing my son, septuagenarian cries out

A  septuagenarian, Innocent Nwigwe, has lamented the failure of the police to pay him the sum N200m which a High Court in Imo State awarded in his favour following the killing of his 25-year-old son, Hisreal Nwigwe, by a sergeant, Bassey Ubana.

The septuagenarian, who wept while briefing journalists in Owerri on Friday, said two years after Justice I. M. Njaka of the State High Court delivered judgment in his favour in a suit he instituted against the Police Service Commission, the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police in Imo state, the Divisional Police Officer, Owerri West Local Government Area, DSP Geoffrey Ogu, and Sergeant Bassey Ubana, the police had yet to obey the court judgment.

Clutching a certified true copy of the judgment which he gave out to journalists, the bereaved father said the police frustrated every move he had made to enforce the court judgment.

Reading paragraph four of the court judgment which stated that “the award of the sum of N200m only is made against the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th respondents in favour of the applicant, being fair and reasonable compensation and exemplary damages for the unjustifiable and unlawful killing of Hisrael Olannanyia Nwigwe, the applicant’s son, and loss of affection and psychological trauma suffered by the applicant,” the septuagenarian said that his household, especially his wife, was in agony.

He said that the policemen who killed his son was dismissed by the police and arraigned for murder.

Nwigwe said, “I am here to tell the world that the Nigeria Police Force has frustrated every move I have made to ensure that the N200m awarded to me by the court since 2017 has not been paid.

“Sergeant Bassey Ubana was dismissed for killing my son. My son was a certified nurse. I gave him N1.5m to open a shop in Lagos. It was on the same day that he was killed by Sergeant Bassey and his money was taken away.

“I have filed garnishee suit compelling banks to give me the account details of the Nigeria Police Force but to my chagrin, all the banks have said that the Nigeria Police Force has no account with them.

 

“My family is at a loss. My son was killed in his prime. He was only 25 and was full of life. He was a certified nurse who was travelling to Lagos to start a life after graduation. I was the one who gave him the money but he was murdered by Sergeant Bassey and the money was taken away.

“I want the world to compel the Nigeria Police Force to respect the judgment of the court. This incident happened in 2016 and judgment was given in my favour in 2017, but up till now, the police have refused the obey the court.”