Family of shot police officer begs President Buhari for justice

Mrs Stella Agge is in pain. Reason: Her husband, Inspector Agge was attacked by “unknown” gunmen about a month ago in Auchi while he was on the convoy of the Edo State deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu. Inspector Agge was shot in the eyes by the gunmen. Although he is still alive, he has temporarily lost his sight. What is paining Mrs Agge is not the fatal injury sustained by the husband but what she called an unbelievable cold feet developed by his husband’s employer (the Nigeria Police) to bring to book the culprits who are allegedly known and boasting that they are above the law. Our Correspondent, OGIEVA OYEMWENOSA, writes.

On the 30th of April, 2016, the convoy of the Edo State deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu on a campaign tour was attacked by unknown gun­men at Auchi, Etsako West local government area of the state.

The event however left no fewer than six persons shot including an escort commander to the deputy governor, Inspector Felix Agge.

Other persons affected were Patrick Amakiri, a DSS official, Zibiri Yakubu, Ogbeso Nice, Osabuohien Igiebor and Matthew Ajayi.

Notwithstanding the incident, the deputy gover­nor had continued his cam­paign with the vow that he will not be deterred by the event which, according to him, was orchestrated by those planning his extinc­tion from the governorship race.

Though the Edo State Police Command, had dis­closed that it would thor­oughly investigate the mat­ter and bring the culprits to book, nothing has been heard on the matter just as the family of Inspector Agge has cried out to Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Inspector Gen­eral of Police, Mr Solomon Arase to bring to book who­ever shot her husband while on official duty.

Mrs Stella Agge, who narrated her pains in the last one month to corre­spondents in Benin City al­leged plans by powers above to kill the case, even as she pleaded for noting but jus­tice as it would make the family happy.

Mrs Agge described the shooting at Auchi as delib­erate, noting that her hus­band, “Inspector Felix Agge was shot straight in the eyes and as at today, over 30 days now, he is still taking treat­ment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin. He is still in the hos­pital bed.”

She continued, “The sus­pects are well known in Au­chi, and one of them is a car dealer. He is still in the shop selling his cars while my husband is in the hospital critically ill. They are walk­ing the streets up and down, boasting that nothing will happen, that they are above the law, yet the police have refused to arrest them.

“My husband is a police­man and I am very sure that he was on a duty that he was sent by the Inspector Gen­eral of Police. He was carry­ing out his legitimate duty, his constitutional duties and he is attacked and I expect the police high command to take it upon itself to ensure that justice is done. For jus­tice to be delayed in this my husband’s circumstances, is a very big disappointment and discouragement to po­lice officers in Nigeria.

She stressed that if the case is not properly treat­ed, it might endanger the lives of police officers in the country as it may serve as a yardstick for politicians to walk freely after commit­ting a crime. She then ap­pealed to President Buhari not to delay justice.

“With what has hap­pened to my husband, I am very sure that many police officers will be doing their jobs in fear because the po­lice they are supposed to rely upon have disappointed them. So I, as the wife and my husband’s family, are crying to the President and the IGP for justice. We have a little child and are crying that justice should take its course because justice de­layed is justice denied.

“We appeal to President Buhari to ensure that these suspects are arrested and brought to book. My hus­band knows these people because they are from the same place with him. My husband is from Edo north and these suspects cannot hide, he knows their fam­ily houses, all I am saying is that justice must be done.

“As at today, he is not seeing with the eyes; the eyes are blind and that is why we are begging the IGP to act now and save the force from this embarrass­ment. Stitches are still in the eyes, my husband cannot see with it, the bullets are still there and that is why the IGP has to do some­thing about my husband’s case,” she lamented.