In a curious manner, the prosecuting police was absent Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Uyo after claiming in his affidavit in support of motion to discharge order earlier issued by the court, that a victim of an alleged assault who supposedly died on January 24, 2018 volunteered a statement on January 26, 2018.
The motion to discharge the exparte order granted, Mrs. Peter Oku, wife of the detained suspect on April 13, 2018, followed the detention of her husband for more than five weeks without bail or being charged to court for murder.
The Akwa Ibom State Police Commissioner had refused to comply with the order of Justice Fatum Riman even after counsel to the detained suspect officially intimated the commissioner, attaching a copy of the court order.
After the counter affidavit of the applicant counsel and observing the contradictions in its affidavit, the police was nowhere to be found to move its motion.
The police arrested and detained the suspect in March 2018 on the allegation that Mrs. Friday Joseph Akpan died as a result of injuries inflicted on her by the suspect on December 28, 2017.
The police said it conducted autopsy on the corpse without the presence of the accused or his representative.
In a curious contradiction, the police gave the age of the corpse documented on the autopsy report as 75 years while the age on the supposed statement of the victim, Mrs. Friday Joseph Akpan volunteered, two days after she reportedly died was given as 66 years.
Barr. Kufre Okon pointed out that even the petition which led to the arrest of his client’s husband was written on March 23, 2018, a month after the person had died, yet his counsel stated that as at that time the victim was bedridden.
In the absence of police to move his motion to discharge, counsel to the detained suspect moved his motion to enforce the fundamental rights of the suspect, claiming N50 million in damages.
The case has been adjourned to May 9 for judgment.
