A family is demanding for justice after a 26-year-old man, Emmanuel Ukpong Dickson, was shot dead by a police officer in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

The victim was allegedly killed by the officer in their family compound at Idua Eket at about 5:05pm on Sunday, October 10.

According to report, Emmanuel had gone for a ceremony alongside his traditional performance group and briefly returned home to pick up some items when he was shot in the head by the police officer identified as Anwana Jacob, attached to the Eket division.

Speaking with journalists on Friday, October 15, his sister Princess Nelly Dickson explained that she was at a salon when her mother called to inform her about the death of her brother.

According to her, the police are claiming the incident was caused by an “accidental discharge” from their rifle but she insists the officer intentionally shot her brother.

"Emma was coming back from the opening of a mourning house in the village on Sunday, where my parents were also. As he was about to enter our compound, a police vehicle arrived and they started shouting at him. So he ran to my aunt’s place, the policemen went after him and shot my brother. Now they are telling me it was an accidental discharge, that they did not know that the gun was not on security,” Ms Dickson told PREMIUM TIMES.

Speaking further with Sahara Reporters, she said, "After shooting at my brother, he left that place very boldly, his team member asked him if he shot someone, he said no. The officer still went to the friend's place and told his friend that he killed someone. Then they drove to the station. My mother told me that I should come, that my brother had been killed, I had to quickly rush home.

“I called my in-law and he came; we verified everything. I went to my aunt and asked that the police officer claimed my brother and others were smoking Indian hemp but she said it's not true. There was no one in the environment. My brother just came to take something in the house. I don't even know what prompted him to shoot my brother. Is it because he was in a uniform? Is this what they recruit or train them for?

The young man that was shot was the breadwinner of the family; he was working with a company. He was a trained and seasoned welder and was also the leader of a cultural group that performs at weddings and burials. The last performance was on Saturday, October 9 during the birthday of the chairman's brother.

"Well, the Nigeria Police have tried, the Investigating Police Officer is trying but I want to see my brother's corpse, we want to bury him. They should release him to us. When we went to the mortuary on Wednesday, we saw the corpse. If you saw where this man shot my brother, you'd know he did it intentionally." she added.

Also speaking, Elder Samuel, Chairman Ukwa village council, who is also related to the family, informed SaharaReporters that the officer had been arrested.

He said that the family had already engaged a lawyer to write a petition to the Inspector-General of Police and state commissioner of police, adding that they deserve to know what the victim may have done wrong and why the officer shot him.

"The culprit has been arrested and right now he is already in the police net. I have met with a lawyer here in Uyo who has put everything in motion to make sure that justice prevails," he said.

"The officer in question lives opposite the police station in Eket, he comes to this compound to stay with his friend, drink and smoke then after this, he will come into my in-law's compound and scare away the young men there. On this fateful day, my brother-in-law and the cultural group he led were celebrating their previous outing. They saw a police officer wielding a gun, so they fled.

"My in-law scaled a fence not knowing that he was already in the other compound. The officer just met him with a gun and opened fire on him in the head. Immediately the officer did that, the policemen entered the vehicle and zoomed off. The culprit was said to have reported himself to the Divisional Police Officer, and the DPO sent a team that took the corpse to the mortuary

“The police claimed they took the corpse to the doctor to confirm if he was already dead, but it is a lie; they took the corpse to the mortuary. We want justice, the lawyer will send a letter to the IGP and the commissioner of police."

Meanwhile, a youth group in Eket, Ekid Youths Union, has petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Amiengheme Andrew, over the killing.

In the petition signed by its President, Ekemini David, the group said it would “use all means necessary” to get justice for the late Mr Dickson, if the police fail to do what is right in the case. Read below:

DEMAND FOR JUSTICE OVER THE EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING OF LATE EMMANUEL UKPONG DICKSON BY THE MEN OF THE NIGERIA POLICE FORCE.

It has come to the notice of the Ekid youths union which is the Frontline youths advocacy Organization in the whole of the Ekid speaking communities of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, that the police under you have this far gotten involved in the careless and extra judicial killing of innocent Nigerian youths.

Sir, it is worthy to state here clearly that as a union we were informed a month ago about a case where a police under you in the Uyo division had a one Kubiat Akpan a Nigerian student who just graduated humiliated and killed and just on Sunday 10th October, 2021 , a young promising son of Eket was killed by the same police right in his father's compound in Idua Eket.

So we don't seem as though we are in a battle of words, Ekid youths don't take issues lightly. We are known for rising for our own. It's exactly a year now since we went on the streets in solidarity with our comrades over the lives of many Nigerian youths that have been lost as a result of the cruel and wicked civil approaches of the Nigerian police and it's brutality and yet the force hasn't repented and keeps housing officers who keep causing pains to families by taking lives at will.

We have been told how the police officer who killed late Emmanuel Ukpong Dickson in Eket said it was a Mistake and how the family has been denied access to seeing the late boy's corpse. Sir whatever this means, we want the killer of that boy to be brought to justice and we will stay in that case till justice is offered. We demand that the family be allowed to see their son's corpse, the killer be arraigned in court and should be allowed to face the full wrath of the law.

It is good to inform that union won't let this slide as usual sir. Nigerian youths deserve safety and protection from a civil force like the police and not to be killed. Emmanuel did nothing wrong to be killed

We hope this letter gets to you well sir and we plead as peace loving people that we are, that you take actions duly as a law executing person. Failure to do this, we may not guarantee you peace in this region.

Thank you.

signed:

Ekemini David

President EYU, worldwide

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