Guardian

FAMILY of the slain 22-year-old student of the University of Benin, Ibrahim Momodu, Sunday raised fresh dust with the allegation that police report that the victim was shot in the legs was false, stating that autopsy reports from his exhumed body showed he was shot in the back, and the bullet piercing through his chest.

A statement by counsel to the family, Jeff Uwoghiren, which was made available to journalists in Benin City Sunday, alleged that preliminary reports of the pathologists, who examined Momodu’s remains, showed that he was shot from the back with three bullets, which tore his heart, before exiting through the upper part of his chest.

Though the police last weekend appealed for calm while they sought advice for prosecution on the alleged killing, Uwoghiren said the police lied when they claimed that the late Momodu was shot while attempting to fire a Russia-made cut-to-size gun at them.

He demanded that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ogida station, Mrs. Carol Afegbai, and other members of her patrol team be immediately charged for murder and conspiracy to murder an innocent person.

The statement also accused the police of trying to clear DPO Afegbai of the accusation that she shot the late Momodu by claiming that her orderly fired the shots, which killed Momodu.

Though there had been conflicting reports of the late Momodu’s clean records, Uwoghiren said: “The family also rejects attempt by the police authority to exonerate the DPO because of her high rank and gender, but is happy to sacrifice her orderly, even when the DPO had severally claimed to have personally pulled the trigger, an action that is consistent with her known sadistic conduct in the Ogida area of Benin City.

“We the solicitors to the family of Ibrahim Momodu, the student shot dead by the DPO of Ogida Police Station, Benin, note with concern and dismay (the) attempts by the police authority in Edo State to obfuscate the legal process of bringing the accused DPO, Mrs. Afegbai, and members of her patrol team to trial by delivering report of the police investigation on the murder of Ibrahim Momodu to the Director of Public Prosecutions without first charging the accused police officers to court.

“The gruesome and premeditated murder of Ibrahim Momodu is part of a consistent act of serial killings by the DPO and her murderous gang.”