Five years after an Inspector in the Nigeria Police, Samuel Timothy, shot dead an innocent sachet water dealer, Onyekachi Nwasuoba, at his shop at Old Aba Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, justice has been procurred for the late Industrial Chemistry graduate as the trigger happy police officer has been sentenced to death by hanging by High Court in the state.
The incident which happened on November 10, 2010, had drawn a lot of conflict after the Inspector who was in charge of a patrol team, allegedly shot the Nwasuoba to death and wrongfully branded him an armed robber.
According to the prosecution, the young graduate who had set up the sachet water factory after he graduated from the university, had pleaded repeatedly with the police officer to spare his life as he was not a robber but Inspector Timothy who had served in the Nigeria Police for 33 years and was due to retire two years later, refused to listen to his plea.
After the killing, guns and ammunitions were placed on the corpse of the deceased and he was labeled a notorious armed robber.
However, in a three hours judgment, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, avvered that Timothy had demonstrated an act of inhumanity through his action.
He described the killer officer thus:
“You are an inhuman, trigger-happy policeman, who engages in murder; a hater of humankind and a merciless killer.
According to Section 319 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I do not have the power to reduce your sentence.
That, you, Inspector Timothy Sampson be hanged on your neck until you are dead.”
Police brutality and extra-judicial killing ahev been going unpunished but whenever such culprits are brought to book, it calls for a new belief in the judicial system. Such was the lot of a Kenyan police officer, Constable Gilbert Ingosi Chemoso, who was sentenced to death in January for allegedly robbing a businessman, Chrispine Otieno Odongo of Sh90,000, (N44, 316) on June 25, 2012, by a Nairobi's Chief Magistrate court.
Read: "Wages Of Sin: Kenyan police officer to die by hanging for robbery"
Also, cases of police killing innocent civilians have been on the increase and do not seem to abate anytime soon. In May, an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Lagos identified as Mohammed, caused a riotous situation in the state when he shot and killed a 31-year-old tricycle rider, popularly called 'Keke', Aranse Akeem, over a minor disagreement.
Read: "Accidental Discharge: Senior police officer kills 'Keke' operator in Lagos"