Former APC Official Calls for Urgent Reopening of Investigation into Alleged Extrajudicial Murder in Bayelsa State
ABUJA/Nigeria: Comrade Timi Frank, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has made a compelling plea to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. He urgently calls for the reopening of the probe into the circumstances surrounding the extrajudicial killing of a young man by the police in Bayelsa State during the tenure of Chief Timipre Sylva as governor.
In a petition titled “Who killed Ken Niweigha? A call to the Inspector General of Police to investigate the tenure of Timipre Sylva as the Governor of Bayelsa State and police complicity in his murder,” addressed to IGP Egbetokun, Timi Frank, through his lawyer Ernest Onyebuchi Olenyi, Esq, of Enahoro & Associates chambers based in Abuja, submitted the appeal on 24th July, 2023.
The petition revolves around the tragic incident involving the extrajudicial killing of Mr. Ken Niweigha, a prominent figure in the Odi Community of Bayelsa State. Frank references news reports and Amnesty International’s research, which have raised significant concerns about the Nigerian police’s conduct and the state of the justice system during Chief Timipre Sylva’s tenure.
According to the petition, Ken Niweigha was arrested by the police on May 26, 2009, and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Yenagoa. The police accused him of leading an armed group and being involved in the killings of 12 policemen, which led to the infamous Odi massacre in 1999. However, conflicting accounts from different sources have cast doubt on the veracity of the police’s version of events.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), an affiliation of armed groups in the Niger Delta, claimed that Ken Niweigha was executed by the police, highlighting the alleged prevalence of extrajudicial executions in Nigeria due to police ineffectiveness. On the other hand, the police stated that Ken Niweigha was killed in a shootout with his gang during an ambush.
The circumstances surrounding Ken Niweigha’s death, along with the broader context of extrajudicial killings in Nigeria, have ignited serious concerns about police conduct. The petition urges for an impartial investigation to establish the truth and hold those responsible accountable for Ken Niweigha’s death, given his role and relationship with the government as the Coordinator of Bayelsa State Volunteers in Odi.
Timi Frank, also known as the Ambassador of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), implores the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate the circumstances leading to the death of “Daddy Ken” and bring closure to the unfortunate incident. Moreover, he emphasizes the need to prevent similar extrajudicial killings from occurring in the future.
