The Independent Investigation Panel on the activities of SARs has ordered the release of the remains of late Simon Aondofa Nyamkwange from the morgue after one and half years futile attempts by his family to get the corpse for a benefitting burial.
Nyamkwange was shot dead by Police sergeant David Moses on April 27, 2020 at Eterna filling station in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja in a baffling circumstances and the police has held on to the corpse since then.
Dr. Garba Tetengi (SAN), who presided over the 11-member panel on behalf of the Chairman, Justice Suleiman Galadima (rtd), gave the order for the release of the corpse.
The panel also summoned the Chief Medical Director of Wuse General Hospital to appear before it on December 1st, 2021 to give evidence on the circumstances of Nyamkwange’s death .
It further ordered the Chief Medical Director to conduct an autopsy on the decease remains before releasing it to family for burial.
Testifying before the Panel on Thursday on a petition written by the deceased brother Abraham Nyamkwange, Police witness, Sergeant David Moses admitted he shot Nyamkwange at Eterna filling station in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja on April 27, 2020 .
He said he was deployed to guard the filing station with his Superior, ASP Danjuma Kadiri Ogwu on the fateful day and that while he was on duty five men wielding shinny cutlasses scaled the perimeter fence of the filling station and he shot one of them that made futile effort to collect his riffle.
He further told the panel that following his shot, the other four men who came with late Simon Aondofa Nyamkwange took to their hills immediately they discovered that he had been shot.
Moses said Nyamkwange did not die on the spot and that informed his decision to contact CSP Emeka Onyia, Police Admin Officer, who in turn informed Wuse Police Station that provided a vehicle that conveyed the victim to Wuse General Hospital, Abuja for treatment.
Continuing, he said that he visited the victim at Wuse General Hospital where he learnt of his death .
On cross-examination by counsel to the Complainant, G. Mpatsavdue who asked if the men who scaled the fence of the filling station were armed, he said that they were only holding shinny cutlasses and that a jackknife was later found in possession of the late Simon Aondofa Nyamkwange when he was admitted in the hospital.
Also testifying, ASP Danjuma Kadiri Ogwu the second witness in the petition filed by Abraham Nyamkwange on behalf of his late brother, informed the panel that he was posted as the Officer in charge of security in the filling station and that he was around on the day of the incident.
Whoever, he said he was not on the same spot with Sergeant Moses and did not witness the shooting, but he heard noise confirming a public disturbance at the filing station.
Sergeant Moses, he continued his testimony, informed him about his encounter with the five men who according to him gained an illegal entry into the filling station, having not passed through the gate but jumped perimeter fence of the premises.
On crossing examination by Complainant’s lawyer, Mpatsavdue, ASP Ogwu said that he did not hear the sound of gun on that very day the victim was shot.
He was further asked to confirm if all he narrated before the panel were just what he was told by the first witness, Sergeant Moses who confirmed that he was the person who fired Simon Aondofa Nyamkwange and he said “I was around” but did not hear the sound of the gun.
Hearing on the matter continues on December 1.