Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
The House of Representatives has invited the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, over the alleged extra-judicial killing of Mr. Izu Joseph, a footballer with Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, in Bayelsa State.
The Bayelsa Police Command and the Joint Task Force, are being accused of the extra judicial murder of three other persons: 17 year-old Innocent Kokorifa, five year-old Godgift Oduku, and 30 year-old Inyan.
The House at plenary wednesday resolved to investigate the circumstances of the killings which occurred in Okarki Community, a border town between Rivers State and Bayelsa State a fortnight ago.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Diri Douye (Bayelsa PDP).
Douye noted that if the trend of extra judicial killings by security agencies is left unchecked, it may lead to a breakdown of law and order, in a situation where citizens would be forced to defend themselves from attacks from the very police who have been paid by taxpayers to protect them.
“While it is the duty of the police to maintain civil law in our society, it is expected that such function is to be carried out with utmost care and respect for human life,” the lawmaker said.
Contributing to the motion, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai (Delta PDP) said the parliament must rise against issues of extra judicial murder of citizens by security agencies.
“The State is supposed to protect the citizens, not murder them,” Ossai noted.
Earlier, youths of Ijaw descent under the Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC) had demanded that the military officers that killed Joseph Izu and other youths from the Okarki community must be fished out and made to face the law for the extra-judicial actions.
“We also demand that the military officers who carried out this extra-judicial murder be brought to justice. President Buhari and his government’s claim to the rule of law is on trial”, the IYC noted.
The IYC, headquartered in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, further accused the Federal Government of treating the indigenes of the Niger Delta like animals and people of little importance.
Spokesman of IYC, Eric Omare, insisted that the duo of Izu and Oko Osuekina were shot at very close range.
The umbrella body for Nigerian professional footballers, NANPF had similarly demanded that perpetrators of the killings be brought to face justice. NANPF has promised to launch a nationwide protest on the killing.
