The judicial panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality and Restitution sitting in Calabar, yesterday ordered the Nigerian Police and Rtd. AIG Joseph Mbu to release corpse of late Ayok Etta, Etta to deceased family so that the corpse can be buried.
Chairman of the panel, Rtd. Justice Emmanuel Edem gave the orders while declaring the year 2020 sitting close for the year shortly after counsels for petitioner, Fakuta Nachada and respondent’s counsel Otu Ubangha Ubi Esq. ended aggurement on the matter.
Another issue which which the panel also gave orders is the issue of the retired AIG Mbu allowing the Etung Paramount Ruler, HRH Ntui Atue Dr. Emmanuel Oru Ojong to access his community to enable the monarch spend Christmas and new year in his domain with his kinsmen.
In another development, the panel also nullified the purported banishment of the Etung Paramount Ruler, HRH Ntui Atue Dr Emmanuel Oru Ojong who claimed to have been chased away from his domain in the last two years by Mbu.
The judicial panel maintained that denying the traditional ruler access to his domain, infringes on his fundamental Human right as enshrined in the constitution of federal republic of Nigeria and ordered the police to grant him unfettered access to his domain to join with his kinsmen and not to be living like a fugitive.
The order followed a petition submitted to the panel by the Paramount Ruler of Etung LGA in Cross River State, HRM Ntui Atue Dr Emmanuel Oru through his counsel, Fakuta Nachamada & Associates of the Kanu Agabi Chambers seeking for redress because of injustice that he had suffered in the hands of the respondent.
A petition JUD/PAN/INQ/O57/2020, summited to the panel on November 4, titled; “Intimidation, harassment, detention and usurpation of the functions of the Paramount Ruler of Etung by Rtd. AIG Joseph Mbu,through the use of men of the Nigeria police,the petition charged Joseph Mbu and his team of police to desist forth with from intimidating the Paramount ruler.
“On 24/12/2018 during Christmas Eve celebration masquerades were in display along Bendeghe-Ekim/Abia road.
“AIG (Rtd) Mbu Joseph stopped his convoy personally shot at and killed one Ayuk Etta Etta who was robbing charcoal on his body in preparation to wear masquerade costumes.
“Boys present carried the corpse of Ayuk Etta Etta and took it to AIG Rtd Mbu’s house at Abia.
“Upon sighting these boys Mbu ordered his policemen to shoot and they started firing, and the bullet hit one of the locals, Oyom Ngon on the leg which became bad that it had to be amputated.
“The director of public prosecutions recommended the prosecution big AIG Mbu, however he used the police and intimidated witnesses from coming forth to testify.
“In January 2019 AIG Mbu preferred 20 trumped up charges against our client, found him guilty and fined him 10 million naira, 4 live cows or else our clients cocoa farm would be seized.
“On the 8th February 2020 caused the broadcast purportedly exiling our client from Abia community.
“AIG Rtd MBU has harassed and intimidated our client using policemen and our client had to run away from his domain and is presently seeking refuge in Ikom”, the petition reads.
The petitioner, averred that the retired AIG has no right whatsoever to be using policemen funded with taxpayers money to intimidate, harass, and kill the same citizens whose tax money were used by the government to fund the police.
The petitioner demanded for thorough investigation into the allegations brought before the panel against Rtd. AIG Mbu and possibly autopsy on the body of late Ayok Etta Etta be carried out so that Mbu can be made to face wrath of the law and possibly restitution be made and persecuted for every wrong doing in the community.
Credit: Leadership