A Petitioner identified as Sulaiman Badmus on Saturday, 20th February, 2021, appeared before Osun State Panel of Inquiry investigating police brutality and extra judicial killings, and demanded 125 million naira compensation.
He alleged that three police officers killed 8 passengers and robbed them of their business capital at a checkpoint.
The petitioner said the three policemen namely; Benjamin Oyekhire; Jimoh Michael and Gershon Soba on 17th February, 200, at the Obeira Police checkpoint, Okene area of Kogi State, gruesomely killed 8 passengers out of 10 passengers after they spotted business capital with one of them.
Narrating their ordeal, the petitioner said on that fateful day, he chartered a bus from Osogbo to Benue, but the driver took another eight passengers along the way who were going to Katsina State to buy rams because it was during Salah festival.
He said when they got to Obeira, Okene axis of Kogi State, they met three fully-armed police officers and the driver stopped.
He said the policemen accosted them, but when the officers saw a huge amount of money in their possession to purchase rams, they started misbehaving and asked the traders to follow them.
The man said they were deceived by the officers because they were told that they were taking them to the station, not knowing they were taking them to the forest where the police officers tied their hands and one of the passengers that attempted to escape was gunned down immediately.
The petitioner said they poured petrol on them intending to set them ablaze, but when they ran after one of them that attempted to run, he then struggled to escape with one other passenger.
He said unfortunately, the remaining passengers were burnt to death, including the driver.
Continuing, the petitioner explained that when the matter was reported in the news and the police started the investigation, he gave evidence and assisted the police to arrest the three officers who were charged to court.
According to him, the case was taken to Lokoja High Court where the three erring officers were sentenced to death by hanging.
The petitioner, however, said he was not too satisfied with the judgement because killing them was not enough as justice, as none of the victims was compensated since the incident occurred twenty years ago, which was why he approached the panel for due compensation.
The counsel to the petitioners, Barrister J.O. Babalola, prayed the court to award his clients a total sum of 125 million naira as compensation to cushion the negative effect he had suffered from the incident.
The Chairman of the Panel, Retired Justice Akin Oladimeji, asked the petitioners’ counsel to prepare his final address for adoption and adjourned the case to March 5th, 2021.
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