The Minister of Justice and Solicitor General for the Government of Alberta in Canada, Kelechi (Kaycee) Madu, has lamented that policemen killed his cousin, Chrisantus Nwabueze Korie, in 2013.
This is as he noted that renaming the Special Anti-Robbery Squad to Special Weapons and Tactics team was not a significant reform.
The Nigerian-born lawyer, who is a former Minister of Municipal Affairs for the province of Alberta, Canada, narrated that there was no probe into the killing despite his petition to the National Assembly.
Madu, who attacked the image of his dead cousin to his series of tweets, declared his support for the advocacy against brutality, extortion, and extrajudicial killings by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
He said, “I support the people of Nigeria as they protest to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings. My own cousin Chrisantus Nwabueze Korie was murdered by Nigerian police in April 2013.
Despite my best efforts, the police would not investigate his murder and did everything to obstruct. I also helped to petition a committee of Nigeria’s National Assembly to probe the killing and report back to the House within a timely manner.
“Fundamental human rights like peace, security, and freedom from police brutality are universal. The Nigerian government has an obligation to protect its citizens and deliver substantive police reform.
“Changing the name of SARS and reconstituting it without significant reform won’t be sufficient to satisfy the cry of the Nigerian people for justice.”
A copy of the National Assembly’s resolution on the killing showed that Okorie was killed in the Mushin area of Lagos.
The resolution dated Tuesday, April 16, read in part, “The House notes the extra-judicial killing of Okorie of Umuevu village, Okirika-Nweke Autonomous Community, Ahiau-Mbaise Local Government Area in Imo State by the officer of the Nigeria Police on Thursday 11, April, 2013, in Mushin, Lagos State.
“Worried about the increasing spate of extrajudicial killing in recent times by the Nigeria Police; disturbed that if no decisive action is carried out, more innocent and defenseless Nigerians would continue to lose their lives, resolves to: Mandate the Committee on Police Affairs and Human Rights to probe the killing and report back to the House within two weeks.”
PUNCH
