Nigerian Navy shielding officers who stabbed police officer to death — Lawyer

A lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, Esq., has accused the Nigerian Navy of shielding two officers, Seaman Nnamani Anointing, and OSMTD Onyekachi Egwin, who stabbed a police officer, ASP Abiona Hezekiah, to death in Lagos.

Barrister Effiong made the accusation in a press release he personally signed and was obtained by News Band on Saturday, entitled “Nigerian Navy should respect the rule of law“.

According to Effiong, the trouble started on December 3, 2022, when the policeman, ASP Hezekiah, was reportedly stabbed to death in Satellite Town area of Lagos State by the two Naval ratings, Anointing and Egwin, during an argument.

The victim was said to have stopped the Naval ratings who were on a motorcycle when argument ensued.

The Lagos State Police Command arrested the two Naval ratings and suspects for investigation and prosecution for the murder of ASP Abiona Hezekiah.

However, the Nigerian Navy demanded that the officers should be released to them for internal investigation and dismissal from service before they can be prosecuted in the civil court.

The police released the two suspects as demanded by the Naval authorities.

Barrister Effiong lamented that more than 6 (six) months after the suspects were handed over to face a court-martial, the Naval authorities have been playing hide and seek with the case and have refused to take appropriate actions against their personnel.

He said: “They have also not released them to the police. I have spoken with the family of the deceased police officer.

“They told me that the Nigerian Navy informed them that the Navy cannot take responsibility for the killing of ASP Abiona because the two Naval ratings were not on their uniforms when they committed the crime.

“This is very tragic and unfortunate. I disagree with the posture of the Naval authorities on this case. A military personnel is subject to both service law and the civil courts.

“Any action taken by a member of the Armed Forces that is capable of bringing disrepute to the Service, is an offense under the Armed Forces Act.”

Effiong, therefore, called on the new Chief of Naval Staff to urgently look into this case and ensure that justice is done.

“ASP Abiona Hezekiah was one of the police officers that received a commendation letter from former Governor Ambode with the sum of N250,000 for recovering and returning the sum of N5 million that fell off from a bullion van around Alausa in Ikeja.

“This injustice is unacceptable. His family deserves justice,” he added.

In the course of enquiry, News Band gathered that owing to bureaucracy, the Nigerian Navy cannot just release a serving military personnel and subject him to a civilian court for a felony crime.

According to law, the suspect must be court-martialed first by the military, which is the equivalent of a federal court if one is accused of committed a federal crime.

Only then will he, afterwards, be tried in a civil court; otherwise, will be adjudged as “double jeopardy” legally speaking.

In the meantime, the Nigerian Navy is yet to respond to the accusation by Effiong. Read more.

— 

©Copyright 2023 News Band

(If you would like to receive CURRENT NEWS updates from News Band on WhatsApp, or Telegram, or wish to send eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to elstimmy@gmail.com and we will respond instantly. Follow us on twitter @News Band; like our Facebook page: News Band.)

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook