Police killed my two sons, only God can console me — Mum of slain Delta artiste

Mrs Oghenemine Ogidi, mother of a young man, Mene, killed by a police officer in Effurun in Warri, Delta State, speaks with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE, on the pain she has been going through due to her slain son

How did you hear about the news of your son’s death?

It was on Wednesday that I heard about the death of my son. On Tuesday, I switched on the radio after 9 pm. As I turned on the radio, I heard a person shouting, “Please, officer, please officer, they only told me to go and pick the parcel. I am ready to take you to the person in Sapele.”

When I heard that voice, I told my children it sounded as if Mene was talking. But because my children had earlier heard about the incident, they did not want me to know. However, I told them that I was sure of the voice I heard.

So, they began to call, and they (my children) learnt that he had been shot in the leg and hand. I then said that if he was shot in the leg and hand, we would go to the police station and take him to the hospital for treatment.

On Wednesday morning, when I woke up, I went to church. As I came back from church, I saw many people within my compound. My mind skipped with fear because this is not the first time such an incident has happened to me.

How did you feel when you heard about the incident?

I felt real pain that would naturally happen to anyone who lost their child in such a cruel manner. As I am here, my mind has not been at rest, but because people are around me, I am able to talk to you.

Before now, when you called me, the power to talk was not there. I am in pain; I am in great pain. My son was a musician. He promised me that he would take me around the world. Which compensation would be bigger than the promise my son gave me?

You are talking about compensation. Would the person be able to take me around the world? When I was seriously ill, it was Mene that took care of me.

He cleaned my urine and faeces during that time. Can the person who wants to pay compensation do the things my son would have done for me?

What exactly happened four years ago?

Four years ago, they also shot the younger brother of Mene. They said an “unknown police officer” shot him. We do not even know where he was killed. When we got to the police station, we were told that they did not arrest my son.

So, when I saw the crowd, I shouted and said, “Have they killed my son again? This time, they must show me who killed my son.”

What effort did you make to search for Mene after you learnt he was shot?

It was my children who went to different police stations to look for him. They went to all the police stations in the area, even to the Ekpan Police Station twice, but the policemen said they knew nothing about the incident, even though that police station was where he was shot.

On the same day (Tuesday), a policeman who is my son’s friend decided to go with my children to the Ekpan Police Station, but the policemen there insisted they knew nothing about the incident. They refused to tell us the truth about what happened.

It was at that point that my children posted Mene’s photo online, notifying the public that he was missing. They posted that he went missing when he went to collect a parcel from the motor park.

When the person who made the video of the incident where they tied my son saw the notice and the photo of my son, he took it (the notice of my missing son) to a human rights activist.

Do you subscribe to the claim that the circumstance that led to your son’s death was a setup?

Yes, they said it was a setup, but I do not really know why anyone would want to set him up.

Did the police tell you they were searching for those who set him up?

The police were only mentioning the name of the cop who shot my son. They said he had been dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force and that he would face judgment as a civilian. That was what they said.

Can you recall what some eyewitnesses at the scene said about the incident?

Some of them said my son was shot by the police in the leg and hand before he was carried into a vehicle by bystanders.

I heard that they (the police) drove to the Ekpan Police Station in Warri. When they got there, the police officer who took my son to the station did not even inform his boss that they were back; he just cocked his gun and shot my son three times.

How can you be consoled, having lost your son in such a gruesome manner?

I don’t know. It is only God who can console me in this situation. It is more painful when I remember that my other son was shot dead four years ago. If not for people’s consoling words and their prayers, I don’t think I would have lasted this long.

Do you need any form of compensation to assuage your feelings and those of the family?

If I talk of compensation, what form of compensation would be enough to remove or stop the pain I am going through? It will only be when they are done with the case, and justice is seen to have been done.

If we must talk, that is when we can talk. I need those who handled the waybill from Sapele to that motor park and those who held the waybill until my son came and collected the parcel to face justice.

They talked about a call that came in before the incident. Who made the call? I want the police to direct their searchlight in these areas.

When exactly was your other son killed, and how old was he?

He was 18 years old, and it happened on June 30, around 8 pm. On July 1, 2022, we moved from one police station to another, but we did not see him.

Some people told us that they saw my son’s corpse around B Division. When my people went to there to search for him, the police there said they did not know anything about the incident. When my children went there again, the police collected their phones at the gate before they entered.

When they wanted to go back, the police returned their phones. In the end, we had no evidence against the police, and we left everything to God.

Did you later see his corpse?

We did not see the corpse; we were only told that my son’s dead body was at the General Hospital. So, the family of another person who was killed was told to bring N1.7m before they could claim the corpse of their relative. So, when we heard what transpired, we lost hope of going to claim his body.

If you have the opportunity to meet the policeman who killed your son, what would you tell him?

I will not tell him anything because all I need is justice. First of all, I need justice for my slain son. Let me emphasise it: I need justice for my son. Those who ganged up and killed my son for no just cause should be brought to book.

I am calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to come to my aid and ensure that those who killed my son are brought to justice.

We learnt that the police authorities visited you on Thursday. What did they tell you?

They told me that they would give me the justice I asked for. They said they had already dismissed the man who shot my son. They said the action would pave the way for him to face judgment.

They also said they would return my son’s phones and show the family his corpse.

But till this moment, when we call them (the police), they tell us to wait. They are just giving us excuses. We do not understand what is happening. For now, we have not seen the corpse, and even the two phones my son was holding before he was killed have not been returned.

How has your family been coping after the incident?

We are coping by the grace of the Almighty God.

How is your community reacting to the sad incident?

The community is not happy because of the way the police shot my son, even when he pleaded with them and told them he was ready to take them to those who set him up.

The police asked us to wait and said they would get to the root of the matter. But we are still waiting for them to get to the root of the case before we know what to do.

Specifically, what kind of justice are you demanding for the extrajudicial killing of your son?

The kind of punishment that should be meted out to them should be severe. I want the families of those who killed my son to also cry the way I have been crying.

(Sobbing) They should be punished and tied the way they tied my son, like a stockfish, before he was killed. My son was not aggressive; he was not fighting them, and he did not steal or rob anybody. They shot him in the leg and hand before taking him to the police station, and shot him three times again.

In all, they shot my son five times. I want that policeman who shot my son dead in such a cruel manner to also receive five bullets the way my son did. If they cannot shoot him the way he shot my son, they should invite me; I will go there and watch how they will shoot him dead in my presence. I want to see his dead body.

Would you go to court if you fail to get the kind of judgment you are demanding?

If the judgment does not go down well with me, I will appeal because I want justice for my son. I will stand for my late son.

What do you think the government should do differently to protect young Nigerians?

That is why we are insisting that justice must be done. By the time they bring the policeman to book and ensure that others who kill people extrajudicially are punished, such illegal killings will stop.

The police, most times, take the law into their own hands without allowing justice to take its due course. If the government ensures they are punished, the police will be afraid to carry out extrajudicial killings.

What makes you strong despite the tragedy?

I am strong by the grace of the Almighty God.