Death for Preaching: Mother Rejects N5m Offer, Demands Justice for Son killed by Police

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Victoria Mba, the mother of 22-year-old Moses Mba, who was reportedly beaten and shot by policemen attached to a residence of the Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, in Calabar, has rejected the N5m offered to her family by the government.

She said no amount of money would silence her demand for justice.

Speaking with during an interview, Mba claimed that some government representatives, who visited her home on Thursday, offered the family N5m.

“They brought N5m. We rejected it. Is the value of my son’s life N5m? They said it was a condolence visit, but I don’t know where condolence is done with money in that way. I want justice, not money,” she said.

Moses, the first son of the family, was shot on August 1.

According to his mother, the victim had claimed he was going to preach to the governor when he was accosted by security personnel.

“Is it a crime if somebody goes to a gate? They could have sent him away or kept him somewhere until they reached his parents.

“Instead, they beat him and shot him in the leg. That’s how they ended my son’s life,” she added.

It was gathered that while Moses was in the hospital for eight days, plainclothes security operatives were stationed in his ward until he died.

Mba said her family insisted on an autopsy to determine whether her son died solely from gunshot wounds or from assault.

“The Assistant Commissioner of Police told me we should wait for an autopsy. I said fine, but I don’t trust their doctors. I can’t even watch them touch my son’s body. I just want the truth.

“They think we are stupid. They think they can silence me with money. My son was my first child, my pride, the one his siblings looked up to. He called me ‘mother’ first. They have taken him away and tried to cover it up. I will not be silenced,” she said.

The bereaved woman also demanded the arrest of all the security men involved in the killing of her son.

For her, the fight is no longer about money or sympathy visits but restoring dignity to her son’s memory.

“I have lost my investment, my identity. But I want his death to mean something. If they think N5m will buy our silence, they don’t know me. I want justice for Moses,” she added.

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Govt condemns shooting

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Linus Obogo, said Otu had already condemned the shooting and ordered a police investigation.

“The governor directed the Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter. As far as we know, the police officer involved is being held. This is a purely police matter, and they are handling it,” he said.

On the N5m, Obogo insisted it was not a bribe but a gesture of sympathy.

“When we paid the condolence visit, we felt it was only proper to support the bereaved family in terms of burial arrangements. It was not for any other reason. We could not have visited and left them empty-handed,” he explained.

When contacted, the Cross River State Police Command said the matter was under investigation.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Igri Ewa, said the matter was undergoing investigation.

Ewa explained that the outcome would be made public.

“It is already on and it is no longer something that anybody is hiding. There was an ugly incident and the deceased is already late. So, I wouldn’t go into giving stories of how. We were all not there. Investigation will unravel.

“If you are following the trend of social media and other publications, even the state government is concerned about the matter. So, it is not something that somebody is hiding. The outcome will be made known.

“The Commissioner of Police made a categorical statement a few days ago when he was interviewed on that. In cases like this, the DPP must give legal advice, while the police handle internal disciplinary action. Autopsy will come in based on the advice of the legal team.

“I have confirmed that the command is on the matter. The governor of Cross River State has ordered a discreet investigation. The command has also been ordered same. The matter is receiving attention. The police officer in question is already facing internal disciplinary action. It is quite unfortunate because we are talking about life.”

Activists demand justice

Reacting to the incident, the President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, demanded justice for the family.

He said, “Nobody has the right to take another person’s life without judicial pronouncement. That is denying someone the right to life. When the right to life isb taken, then all other rights are forfeited.

“We believe that the police as an institution do not condone extra judicial killing. The training they have is to preserve life as much as possible until it becomes necessary to use weapons. It is uncalled for that the police will take somebody’s life.

“The IG has a lot of work to do. Firstly to investigate and establish who is culpable in the extrajudicial killing and ensure that there is a consequence for whosoever must have misused the firearm that is entrusted into his or her care.

“The policeman that is responsible for that must be brought to book and should be given deterrent punishment so that others will take every precaution to avoid extrajudicial killing or causing bodily injury to innocent Nigerian because it is a violation of their right to welfare and insecurity.”

Also, the South-South Zonal Director of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mr John Umeh, described the killing of Moses as “reprehensible”.

Umeh insisted that the state government must first give the deceased a befitting burial before any talk about compensation.

He noted that the family had not demanded compensation but stressed that the life of the young preacher, who was about to enter university, could never be equated with money.

“If we could recall, the Senate once mandated NDLEA to pay N200m in compensation for a stray bullet that killed a small boy in Delta State. Looking at this scenario, the government should do the needful. But as it is, the family has not mentioned any compensation to me. They only want the boy to be buried first by the state government,” he added.

The Legal Aid Council director urged the family to ensure that an independent pathologist from a teaching hospital was part of the process.