A man, Imowo Sampson, has alleged threat to his life after his son, Utibeabasi Sampson, 14, was murdered by seven other children at Pinnacle Hotels, Uyo.
Imowo stated that since the suspects in his son’s murder case were arrested and remanded in prison custody, pending the determination of the case by a competent court of law, he had been observing strange movement to his home, office, and place of worship.
He added that he had been confronted by lawyers handling the case including some police officers seeking his rethink over the matter.
Utibeabasi was said to have been murdered by children, whose ages range from 14 to 17. They allegedly lured the deceased to the hotel under the pretext of a get together, only to eliminate him in one of the rooms, and deposited his corpse in a swimming pool to give the impression he drowned.
Imowo stated on Tuesday that the initial diagnosis indicated that Utibeabasi was drowned. He added that a made-up result was suspected in the previous diagnosis, which induced police authority to insist on a further diagnosis.
According to him, when Utibeabasi’s corpse was recovered from the swimming pool, where he was deposited, there was no sign that he was drowned in the water.
He said his stomach was flat adding that when people tried to press off the water from his stomach, they discovered that instead of water coming out, it was blood that rushed out of his nose, ears, and mouth.
He noted that the second autopsy confirmed the suspicion that the deceased died not in the swimming pool but was murdered as water was not found in any parts of his vital organs.
He added that an insignia, indicating that his boy might have been murdered by a cult group, was found in his pocket.
Imowo stated that when the suspects were initially arrested, detained and released, their parents went to Federal High Court, Uyo and obtained an order seeking a declaration that the detention was unlawful, unconstitutional and a breach of fundamental human rights and freedom of movement, liberty and dignity guaranteed by law.
In suit no. HU/FHR 63/2016, stamped April 12, 2016, counsel to the applicants, Iniobong Udoh, also sought an order restraining the Commissioner of Police in the state or his agents from re-arresting and detaining the applicants or their parents on the alleged murder.
The applicants in the order demanded that the Managing Director of the hotel who was the 1st respondent and the State Commissioner of Police paid them and their parents/guardians N10m for the mental and emotional injury, hardship, trauma, torture and punishment suffered by them as a result of the unlawful arrest and detention.
Following the alleged establishment that it was a murder issue, the police charged the case to a magistrate court, where the magistrate declined to hear, instead referred the file to the Director of Public Prosecution for proper reassignment.
The argument of the magistrate was that a murder case could not be heard in a magistrate court but in the high court.
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