Mr Victor Friday, an unemployed graduate, spoke with The Punch about the circumstances surrounding the death of his elder brother, Joshua Ibanga (also known as Amadi), alleging that some police officers in Delta State were complicit.
When asked about his relationship with the deceased, he said that Joshua was his elder brother. He said he got the news of his death after his friend, Amejuma, called him while he was at work and informed him that Amadi was the person the police had allegedly killed in the river.
Mr Friday said he rushed to the community and met people at the riverside, where he learnt that someone was inside the river. He stated that he and his friend later got divers and spent about five hours searching for the body. He added that some youths alleged that the police had been causing problems in the community for a long time.
He said he initially did not believe the person in the river was his brother until the body was recovered. He alleged that the corpse was still bleeding from the face after several hours in the water and insisted that his brother did not drown.
Narrating how his brother was chased, Mr Friday said his brother was sitting with a child when the police arrived with an informant, identified as Ashara, who allegedly pointed him out for arrest due to a previous dispute.
He alleged that when the policemen approached his brother, he ran because people in the community feared being harassed by the police and having to pay money to secure their release. He added that a child witnessed the chase and that his brother tried to escape through a street but was blocked by the police vehicle.
Further talking, he said, “He was running on foot, and the only option left was for him to head towards the riverside. While some policemen chased him on foot, others pursued him in their vehicle.
“My brother dived into the river and, since the policemen could not swim, they started throwing stones at him. The mother of the 12-year-old child, who was on a motorcycle, saw everything when the policemen were throwing stones into the river, but she never knew it was my brother they were pelting with stones.”