Coroner Inquest: The C.P Benue Police Command and 8 others testify about the death of BIRS staff
Late Terfa Sixtus Akure
By Jerry Moses –
The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, C.P Tajudeen Abass, and 8 other staff of Benue Internal Revenue Service BIRS, today testify as witnesses before a Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court, holding a Coroner Inquest in the death of a BIRS Staff, late Terfa Sixtus Akure, allegedly murdered by men, suspected to be soldiers from the 72 special battalion in Makurdi.
Testifying before the Magistrate, V.T Kor, Esq. the Benue State Commissioner of Police, who was represented in Court by Sgt. Godwin Nyajor, in the homicide section said, “the case of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide was transferred from C division police station in North bank area of Makurdi to state CID on the 16 January 2022.
“That on 15th January, 2022, at about 11:30 pm, a battalion of soldiers came with an army control van, Hilux van with the inscription ” 72 battalion” and attacked the BIRS staff attached to one check point in north bank, and whisked away one Sixtus Terfa Akure to unknown destination, the following morning, the dead body of the said Sixtus Terfa Akure was found close to Aper Aku estate.
“As soon as the case was accepted, I took the investigations with recorded statements from witnesses who visited the scene of the crime and recovered some log of woods which were being used by BIRS staff. The wood was found close to the gate of the ’72 battalion’ and was treated as an exhibit.
The C.P who was called as the ninth witness further testified that he proceeded to the hospital where the corpse was deposited to snap it, fill the coroner forms and witness the post molten result carried on the body of the deceased. He said he wrote a correspondence to the commander of 72 special battalion requesting him to avail the police with the officers that were on duty on that day, and that the commander acknowledges the receipt of the correspondence and promised to avail the police with the officers, but has never produced the said soldiers.
Also testifying as witness was, Francis Atakpa, a revenue assistant attached to BIRS designated inspection point, North bank, who testified that, ” the soldiers carried Sixtus Terfa Akure and all the log of wood which were used as barricade at the check point and put them in the Hilux van along side with Sisxtus Terfa Akure and the soldiers drove towards 72 Battalion road.
“That when the soldiers left I came out from my hide out and called Sixtus on phone but when he picked, all I could hear from him was his cry and pleading for mercy on his life. That at this time we thought the soldiers had gone to detain him, we continued with our work until at about 12:30 AM I saw the same Army Hilux van drove back and headed toward Lafia road.
He continued that “the following morning myself and the other staff of BIRS gathered and were thinking of how we can make a formal report to BIRS and also make effort to go and bail Sixtus from 72 Battalion, someone drove and told us that he saw a lifeless body lying close to Aper Aku Estate with a BIRS identity card and a POS machine, and his small phone dropped by his side.” He said.
The witness further testified that”, we quickly moved to the scene and discovered that it was our colleague Sixtus that the soldiers killed and abandoned his body by the roadside. And that they immediately moved to the police C’ division and reported the matter where the DPO and his team then moved to the scene and recovered the corpse.
Others who testified before the coroner were, The Board Secretary, James Shankyla who tendered two letters of complaint dated 18/1/2022 and 23/2/2022 respectively addressed to the Commander, 72 Battalion, which he said were received and acknowledge by the commandant. The two letters were marked as exhibits ‘A’ and ‘B’.
Also testifying were Okpeh Ugwuoke Mathias- BIRS Area Tax officer North bank; Torbee Kumaga Bernard, Atakpa Francis, Abutu Aondoakaa Stanley, Ikyegh Aondofa Solomon, Mark Ugah Bosua, Timothy Tyozer, who gave separate testimonies implicating the soldiers in the death of Sixtus Terfa Akure.
Counsel to BIRS, Mike Ustaha Esq, after all the witnesses in court were called applied that the following documents from the commissioner of police be admitted as exhibits in the case; the latter written to the commander of 72 battalion, The post molten report, pictures of the log of woods, pictures of the lifeless body of late Sixtus Terfa Akure.
The Magistrate, V.T Kor Esq, granted the application for the documents to be admitted as exhibits and adjourned the coroner to 25th, March 2022 for continuation of hearing.
