Human rights lawyers and civil society organisations are seeking the death penalty in the case of the extrajudicial killing of Oghenemine Ogidi by a police officer, Nuhu Usman, on Sunday in Delta, and vowed to ensure that justice is served.

The now-dismissed officer, attached to the Effurun police division and aided by two others, was caught on video fatally shooting a handcuffed Mr Ogidi.

“What we human rights lawyers and civil society groups are saying is that we want justice to be done. Those criminals in uniform must be prosecuted diligently, not by the police, but by the Nigerian state or the attorney general of Delta state, in accordance with the law,” human rights lawyer Festus Ogun told the Peoples Gazette on Thursday. “We’re mobilising with CSOs to monitor the prosecution, so that it will not be compromised based on technicalities, or incompetence of the prosecutor.”

President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, said, “We don’t know if there’s a secret the trigger-happy policeman didn’t want him to reveal. So, we’re taking it up. We’ve asked the IGP not to allow any cover-up.”

A lawyer, Ayo Ademiluyi, noted that “this kind of brutality by police officers was what led to the EndSARS protest in 2020”. 

“Some of the triggers of the EndSARS protest were also a similar killing in the same Delta State. That particular officer was also part of the so-called SARS that was disbanded. We said it then, that just terminating the nomenclature of SARS does not mean police brutality will end,” stated Mr Ademiluyi.

Human rights lawyer, Inihebe Effiong, stated that aside from the arrest and dismissal of the officer, the IGP must remove the police commissioner in Delta, Yemi Oyeniyi, and sanction the area commander of the police unit linked to the murder.

The executive director of the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria, Blessing Akinlosotu, in his submission, condemned the “devilish act” and warned that if the government fails to ensure justice and the court sentences the suspect to death, Nigerians will sanitise the system by themselves.

“We condemn it, and call on the federal government to immediately, not just sanction or dismiss those officers, but make sure they are sentenced, if possible, to death by hanging,” said Mr Akinlosotu.

Head of the Lagos chapter of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Kenny Bakare, described the murder as barbaric and advised the leadership of the force to conduct mental evaluations on officers before handing over arms to them.

Mr Bakare said, “It was so barbaric. I know the IGP has shown him the door from the police force, and he’ll be prosecuted. The IGP should give more training and orientation to the policemen, especially when they are armed. The police should ensure they know the mental capacity of policemen they give arms because some of them have mental problems, but you don’t know.”