DPO, Five Policemen Arrested Over Hunter’s Death In Custody

The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Doubeli Police Station and five other policemen over the death of a hunter simply known as Abdullahi.

Public Relations Officer of the command, Othman Abubakar, said that Abdullahi died of an unknown ailment in custody and investigations into the death have begun.

The victim’s wife, Hussaina refuted the claims by the police, that her husband died as a result of ailment.

She insisted that Abdullahi was ‘very healthy’ before he was picked up by police officers in the early hours of Monday.

Hussaina said, “My husband has been very healthy and returned home from the market. Around 1:00 am (on Monday), the police stormed into our house while we were asleep, woke the men in our compound and started beating them.”

“They caught my husband and started beating him mercilessly, they went into our neighbour’s room but he was not at home. The policemen returned into my room and stepped on one of my children sleeping on the floor,” she claimed.

The victim’s wife further narrated, “They continued beating my husband while he pleaded with them to allow him to put on his clothes but they refused. After beating him with sticks, the policemen took him away and I never set my eyes on him until now when I saw his lifeless body in the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the death of Abdullahi has sparked a protest by members of the Hunters Association of Nigeria in Adamawa.

The hunters held a rally across some major streets in Yola, the state capital to condemn the incident.

They took to the busy Mubi Roundabout, few metres away from the Doubeli Divisional Police Station, to seek justice for Abdullahi and demand that his body be released to the family.

The protest caused gridlock and panic from residents in the area as motorists were forced to divert to other routes or wait for long hours on the road.