Policeman Beaten To Death By Soldiers In Rivers

A POLICE inspector, identified as Hosea Yakubu, has been reportedly beaten to death by soldiers at Eleme Petrochemical gate, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Yakubu was said to have incurred the wrath of the soldiers when he drove against traffic while on duty in a patrol van on August 16.

A brother to the victim was quoted as saying that Yakubu and two other officers were returning from a patrol duty and chose to drive against traffic to avoid a gridlock on Eleme road.

He said when his brother got to the company’s gate, a military man on mufti stopped them and confronted them for driving against the traffic.

A heated argument was said to have ensued between the policemen and the soldiers, prompting one of the soldiers to slap the police driver.

The late Yakubu was said to have alighted from their patrol van and scolded the soldier for slapping his colleague. Immediately, other soldiers engaged him in a fight.

The source lamented that one of the soldiers used a thick wood to hit his late brother’s head and he fell to the ground.

The victim’s brother said he was later rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) for medical attention, but died at the hospital.

“After 24 hours on admission, he gave up. Till today, neither the police nor the military have said anything or taken any action to bring the culprits to book,” the source said.