The police in Bayelsa State were, on Wednesday, embroiled in a case of alleged extra-judicial killing of a 17-year-old Ijaw
youth, Master Innocent Kokorifa. Innocent, who hailed from Okpotuari community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, was reportedly shot dead on August 18 by the Anti- Vice/Anti-Kidnapping squad of the police at Air Force Road, Yenagoa.
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The incident, which happened at about 11am on the fateful day, has pitted the police against, the deceased family, Ijaw youth groups and activists who accused the law enforcement agency of extra- judicial killing.
The father of the deceased, Mr. Daniel Kokorifa, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who broke down in tears while narrating the incident, said Innocent, his first child out of five children, was murdered in cold blood. He said the victim who was to turn 18 on September 9 was a peacemaker, a non-smoker who had no records of criminality.
Narrating the incident, he said: “On August 18, I received a call from my wife that the police shot my first son, Innocent Kokorifa. I instructed my wife to go to police station at Ekeki to inquire about the condition and whereabouts of Innocent.
“My wife later called to inform me that on getting to the station, she said ‘police shot my son’, but the police retorted ‘do not say police shot your son, so that police will investigate the matter for you’. They admonished and doctored her that if asked, she should say ‘bad boys shot her son’.”
“When I heard this, I left Port Harcourt, where I work, by night bus and arrived Bayelsa at about 11pm the same day. I made efforts to locate the whereabouts and condition of my son to no avail because most police station l reported to claimed ignorance of the case”.
Kokorifa said he went to the crime scene late in the night in company with some of his family members and on getting there he spotted blood stains on the ground.
He said: “The next day, we returned to the same spot and met a woman who told us what really happened at the spot. The woman told us that men of the Anti-Vice squad came out and shot at an unarmed boy.
“She insisted that the environment was peaceful and there was no cause for alarm until the police in Jeans and t-shirts came and shot the boy. When the boy fell down and became lifeless, the police prevented people from having a close look at the lifeless body.
“They shielded the body of the deceased from onlookers and threw it into their van and zoomed off. After hearing this, I went to the office of Anti- Vice squad at Road Safety road to see the O/C Anti-Vice, but was told the O/C was not on seat and was advised to wait for the O/C”.
After waiting in vain for the Officer Commanding Anti-Vice, Kokorifa said he went to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where he was told by a doctor that a police team brought a lifeless body of a youth to the emergency unit on the fateful day.
“I was told that the Emergency Unit rejected the body since it was already lifeless. I further went to the mortuary unit, where on enquiry, l was told by the mortuary attendant that a body was
youth, Master Innocent Kokorifa. Innocent, who hailed from Okpotuari community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, was reportedly shot dead on August 18 by the Anti- Vice/Anti-Kidnapping squad of the police at Air Force Road, Yenagoa.
IMG_20160816_121116
The incident, which happened at about 11am on the fateful day, has pitted the police against, the deceased family, Ijaw youth groups and activists who accused the law enforcement agency of extra- judicial killing.
The father of the deceased, Mr. Daniel Kokorifa, an officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who broke down in tears while narrating the incident, said Innocent, his first child out of five children, was murdered in cold blood. He said the victim who was to turn 18 on September 9 was a peacemaker, a non-smoker who had no records of criminality.
Narrating the incident, he said: “On August 18, I received a call from my wife that the police shot my first son, Innocent Kokorifa. I instructed my wife to go to police station at Ekeki to inquire about the condition and whereabouts of Innocent.
“My wife later called to inform me that on getting to the station, she said ‘police shot my son’, but the police retorted ‘do not say police shot your son, so that police will investigate the matter for you’. They admonished and doctored her that if asked, she should say ‘bad boys shot her son’.”
“When I heard this, I left Port Harcourt, where I work, by night bus and arrived Bayelsa at about 11pm the same day. I made efforts to locate the whereabouts and condition of my son to no avail because most police station l reported to claimed ignorance of the case”.
Kokorifa said he went to the crime scene late in the night in company with some of his family members and on getting there he spotted blood stains on the ground.
He said: “The next day, we returned to the same spot and met a woman who told us what really happened at the spot. The woman told us that men of the Anti-Vice squad came out and shot at an unarmed boy.
“She insisted that the environment was peaceful and there was no cause for alarm until the police in Jeans and t-shirts came and shot the boy. When the boy fell down and became lifeless, the police prevented people from having a close look at the lifeless body.
“They shielded the body of the deceased from onlookers and threw it into their van and zoomed off. After hearing this, I went to the office of Anti- Vice squad at Road Safety road to see the O/C Anti-Vice, but was told the O/C was not on seat and was advised to wait for the O/C”.
After waiting in vain for the Officer Commanding Anti-Vice, Kokorifa said he went to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) where he was told by a doctor that a police team brought a lifeless body of a youth to the emergency unit on the fateful day.
“I was told that the Emergency Unit rejected the body since it was already lifeless. I further went to the mortuary unit, where on enquiry, l was told by the mortuary attendant that a body was
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