Over 500 Retired Officers Petition Investigative Panel on Police Brutality

Over 500 Retired Officers Petition Investigative Panel on Police Brutality

Over 500 retired police officers in Akwa Ibom State have jointly petitioned the Judicial Panel of Investigation on Police Brutality constituted by the state.

In a petition, JPPP/MEMO/ 084 to the panel, the retired police officers said they were in the panel following non-payment of their contributory pension over the years.

Represented by their counsel, Sunday Njoku, the retired officer argued that such acts by the management of Police Pension Scheme is one of the major causes of the ignominious acts by some bad eggs among the police force.

According to them, “The helpless situation of both serving and retired officers has been one of the major causes of the action of the police. “They want to make it before they are out of service. Imagine saving for 35 years but get very little or nothing when they are retired.”

According to their counsel, the retired police officers are in the panel to make useful contributions on police reform that will go a long way to helping the public.

Meanwhile, the panel has frown at the attitude of some police officers invited to the panel.

The Chairman of the panel, retired Justice Ifiok Ukana, threatened that members of the panel would not hesitate to order an arrest of serving or retired officer who fails to appear before it.

The position of the chairman followed the refusal of some police officers allegedly involved in the gruesome murder of one Blessing Alade in Iwuokpom, Ibeno Local Government Area in the state in 2017 to appear before the panel.

Blessing’s corpse is yet to be buried more than three years of his killing.

Also, the medical pathologist, Dr. Emeka Nwafor, who carried out the autopsy on the deceased, failed to appear before the panel to honour the summon.

Speaking at the panel, the father of the deceased, Pastor Alade Jonathan, said the police murdered his son, Blessing, in cold blood.

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