#EndSARS panel: Widow asks police to release corpse of husband for burial

Mrs Chidimma Edozieuno, one of the petitioners at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI) looking into the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State, sitting in Awka, has called on the Nigeria Police Force to release the corpse of her husband, late Johnson Edozieuno, who died in their custody. Edozieuno, in […]

Mrs Chidimma Edozieuno, one of the petitioners at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI) looking into the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra State, sitting in Awka, has called on the Nigeria Police Force to release the corpse of her husband, late Johnson Edozieuno, who died in their custody.

Edozieuno, in her petition to the panel, said her husband, who lived in Benin Republic, visited Nigeria after she gave birth in 2017 and was arrested in the early hours of August 1, 2017 by Policemen in mufti at the Ichida Street residence in Awka and he never came back.

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According to her, her property were carted away to an unknown destination as the police operatives did not disclose their base or where they were taking her late husband to.

She said that the only thing they told her was that her husband was a kidnapper and that she would not see him again.

The widow said that after search in the Police stations around Awka without success, information got to her that her husband had been tortured and detain at the disbanded SARS, Awkuzu where he died in the process.

According to her, a legal process was commenced at the State High Court, Awka to secure his release and in the process, the legal department of SARS informed the court that the her husband was dead.

According to her, that was how the matter was dismissed by the court.

She pleaded with the committee to prevail on the police to release the corpse of her husband, return her property and pay reasonable compensation to her and the family of a man they killed while in SARS custody.

According to her, the compensation would help to take care of those he left behind.

The Chairman of the panel, Hon. Justice Veronica Umeh, said the panel would investigate the claims in the petition and come up with recommendations.

A total of 33 petitions were recorded but only five were entertained in Thursday.