Revelation At Rivers Panel: ‘I Have Not Seen My Cousin Since 2016 Because I Couldn’t Raise N100k For Bail’

An aggrieved man, Ipalibo Manuel, on Tuesday told the Rivers State Judicial Panel on police brutality sitting at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, how his nephew, Godstime Adokiye, allegedly died in the custody of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad after he failed to raise the N100, 000 the operatives demanded to release him in 2016.

Mr. Manuel, a retired civil servant, while testifying at the panel, said:

“My late nephew went to play football at Borokiri Sand Field, on his way back with friends he was arrested and taken to SARS office since 2016.

“Adokiye called me to inform me of the situation and their demand of a hundred thousand naira to release him.

“When I got there with N30k that I managed to raise, they threatened me and told me my nephew wasn’t there.

“I told them I am retired that I have N30k and not N100k as demanded, they bluntly refused and I had to go back to Abonnema. I was threatened not to come back again.

“Since then, until date I have not seen my nephew nor his corpse.”

Ipalibo appealed to the panel to help him secure his nephew’s corpse so he can give him a proper burial.