Rivers State Commissioner of Police Tunji Disu has vowed to ensure justice for Nyebuchi Eke, a landlord who was allegedly killed by policemen in the Woji community of Port Harcourt.
Eke died on Monday night after being manhandled by some police officers who were invited by one of his tenants to arrest him for evicting him from his house over a rent dispute.
The deceased’s elder brother, Solomon Eke, provided details of the incident, stating that the tenant had invited his brother, a policeman, to help him deal with a rent dispute with the landlord.
“The tenant went to his brother, who is a policeman, not even incidenting it properly at the Woji Police Division. He just went to his brother to ask him to help him deal with his landlord,” Solomon explained.
“The police just went there and started manhandling him with the help of the tenant and that led to his death. We have seen the injuries on his body. The DPO of Woji wasn’t aware that this act had been done by the men of her division, but the three policemen have been arrested and they’re in detention. The complainant is also in detention.”
The incident has, however, sparked unrest among community youths, who threatened reprisals. Traditional rulers, the deceased’s elder brother, and the youth president, along with other stakeholders, intervened to defuse the situation and prevent further violence.
Disu, who assumed office just last week, visited the community on Tuesday to assure residents that the officers responsible for Eke’s death would be held accountable.
He disclosed that the three policemen involved had been arrested and have been detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
“Justice will be served. Those involved have been arrested and investigations are ongoing. I assure her [Eke’s widow] justice will be served,” says Disu.
The police commissioner, however, urged the youth in the community to maintain peace and allow the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
He also reiterated the Inspector-General of Police’s call for partnership between the police and the community in maintaining peace and security.
“This is what the IGP has been talking about: partnering with the community and stakeholders. That has made it easy for us to solve this issue at hand. The elders and traditional rulers came out and assisted the police in dousing the tension.”
