The Senate on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, demanded the prosecution of the policemen who allegedly tortured a former cleaner with a Chinese restaurant, Shedrack Ochoche to death in Abuja.
The upper legislative chamber insisted that the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, must identify the policemen who tortured and killed the young Ochoche and make them face the law.
Passing the resolution at plenary while considering a motion by Senator Abba Moro (PDP Benue South), the Senate said, “The Nigerian Police should be made to take full responsibility for the young struggling family Ochoche left behind.”
Senator Moro, armed with a petition from the deceased family, told his colleagues that the 29-year-old Ochoche was arrested by the police on January 17, 2022.
He said the young man, who was a former worker at a Chinese restaurant in the Jahi area of Abuja, was his constituent.
The lawmaker alleged that “Ochoche was arrested by men of the Nigerian Police Force with the intention to kill and they did kill him.”
He said: “Young Shedrack was accused of stealing the car battery of his ex-boss, a Chinese woman popularly known as madam PimPim, the allegation came five days after he resigned from his job because he was owed for more than three months.
“Five days following his resignation from the cleaning job at the Chinese restaurant, Madam PimPim the Chinese boss alleged that her car battery was missing.
“She went to lodge a complaint at the Mabushi Police Station in Abuja.
“The police personnel attached to the Mabushi Police Station arrested, detained, and mercilessly tortured him (Ochoche) to death in their custody.
“While in detention, the family members visited him and seeing his bad condition due to injuries inflicted on him made a passionate appeal for his bail but the appeal fell on deaf ears.
“The Operation Commander identified as SP. Uche threatened that no amount of begging would make him release the young Ochoche until the complete money for the battery was paid.
“He (Uche) further threatened that if he killed the young Shedrack Ochoche no one would be able to challenge him.
“Sadly, SP. Uche and other police personnel carried out his threat by killing Ochoche.”
Senator Moro said the deceased’s family members visited the Mabushi Police Station on Monday, 17th January, only to be told that their son had died in the early hours of the same day.
“To confirm the sad news, the family members were taken to the Wuse General Hospital only to discover the dead body of Shedrack with blood gushing out of his mouth, ears, and nose.
“The dead body was abandoned by the police in a private vehicle parked in the Wuse General Hospital premises,” he added.
