SAN FRANCISCO, November 24, (THEWILL) – One of the petitioners, Basil Ejiagwa who was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday at the Lagos Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of brutality by the disbanded SARS Operatives, is dead.
Ejiagwa was listed as the third petitioner to be heard but when his case was called, his counsel Olalekan Gazali told the panel that “the petitioner is no more, we lost him last week as a result of the torture meted to him by SARS.
“His wife came to the panel all the way from Imo State with his picture to show the state of his health but unfortunately the matter did not go on at the last sitting.”
The counsel further said that his client died as a result of the torture he suffered in the hands of SARS officials. He asked the panel to allow him instead call on a family member to testify.
“He is being represented by a family member who has his death certificate, hospital bills other hospital records and is ready to testify on his behalf”, Gazali told the panel.
At this point, the counsel representing the police, Joseph Eboseremen raised an objection to the effect that “it can’t be proven that his death was directly caused by the torture from SARS as it took place a while ago.”
The Chairman of the Panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi agrees and strikes out the statement.
The deceased’s cousin, Chukwu Vincent told the panel that the Police used big iron hammer to damage his two legs and thereafter took him to Ikeja SARS.
Vincent said late Ejiagwa was arrested on his way from work at Alaba International.
“On his way home, he was arrested by men of Nigerian police in a korope bus. He was arrested at a place called at Igando”, he said.
Vincent further narrated that the petitioner was arrested and kept at the Igando Police station, for nine days, before he was taken to Ikeja SARS office and released on May 31, 2014.
He said, “the police used gun butt to break his head and made him lose his memory. After some time he could not walk and do certain things, as at the first time of the injury on his head, the tumor did not start immediately.
“We rushed him to Elshaddai private hospital at Iba Igando road by Iyana School bus stop, where he was treated and later diagnosed with brain tumor.”
The witness who was led in evidence by Gazali, said the petitioner got a judgment of N40million against SARS, from the Lagos Federal High Court on April 16, 2019, but that he was yet to get the judgment sum before his death.
Vincent also said that a bill of N1million was spent on the deceased’s treatment.
He also said that Ejiagwa was taken to the village when his health became critical and he died on November 17, 2020.
“We were advised to take him to the village when his health became critical. When you look at him, he looks like a different person. He died in the village last week on 17 November 2020”, he said.
He presented photocopies of receipts and the picture of the deceased victim, from the hospital as evidence in the case.
The Panel then admitted in evidence hospital documents including photocopies of drug prescription forms and a bill of N1m for his treatment. The hospital documents came from the Lagos State Government General Hospital in Alimosho and the El-Shaddai Hospital also in the Iba/Igando area of the state.
The panel also admitted a N40million judgement the deceased obtained in his favour from the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Through the witness, the family is appealing to the panel to help enforce the judgment against the police. The judgment was said to have been delivered on the 16th of April 2019.
The case was adjourned till December 4, for further hearing.
