As the police investigate the circumstances that led to the death of one Mr. Julius Iwhiwhu shortly after he allegedly had a scuffle with officials of the Rivers State Traffic Maintenance Agency popularly known as TIMARIV, the family of the deceased are crying for justice.
Iwhiwhu had left his home last Thursday for a church programme oblivious of the fact that he would never return to his residence alive. He died a day later in the hospital after he purportedly claimed that a substance was sprayed on his face by some operatives of TIMARIV.
The officials of TIMARIV were said to have accosted the 45-year-old Iwhiwhu, who was an employee of Schlumberger Group, for purportedly breaking a traffic rule.
The deceased was said to have made a turn at the MCC Junction while returning from the church, making the TIMARIV men to arrest him. The argument that ensued between him and the officials of the agency attracted the attention of passersby, who pleaded for the man to be left alone.
Not moved by the plea of the passersby, the TIMARIV officials insisted that Iwhiwhu, who was with his eight-year-old daughter while driving, must be taken to their office. The deceased was said to have told them that he was ready to go to their office with them, but on the condition that he would be the person to drive his car.
Dissatisfied with the condition, the men allegedly struggled with Iwhiwhu while trying to get his car key from him. The deceased’s daughter, Miss Rukey Iwhiwhu, narrated her father’s ordeal in the hands of the traffic officials. According to her, the men had during the struggled pushed her father.
“When my dad was turning at MCC Junction as other cars were turning, they (TIMARIV officials) told us to park somewhere and as my dad stopped,” she said. “They told us to move with them to their office in Nkpolu. When my dad hid the key of the car, they started pushing the car to their office at Rumuigbo after ordering us to go down from the car so that one of them could drive it.
“But my dad told them that he would drive the car himself to anywhere they wanted him to go and as they were dragging the key with my daddy, they pushed him inside somewhere. When he came out from there, I saw one man in black trousers and white T-shirt. The man was with a laptop. When I went to see my father, he (my dad) told me that they sprayed something on his face and asked me to pray for him. He said that he was dying. But the people said he was pretending until he collapsed.”
The grief-stricken wife of the deceased, Dr. Gloria Iwhiwhu, said she got a call from her husband, asking her to meet him at Rumuigbo Junction. She said her husband claimed that the men of TIMARIV were harassing him. Gloria added that when she got to a point, a neighbour told her that Iwhiwhu had raised the alarm before he died that the officials of traffic agency, who arrested him, had sprayed a substance on his face.
“It was at that point that I was assisted by some passersby to take my husband to the hospital. He was later admitted at Rivers Hospital with the help of some policemen. But at about 5 pm the following day, he died and the police came to transfer his corpse to Kpaima Morgue.
“I don’t really know what to say again because my heart is broken. But TIMARIV should have considered the cry of my little child, who pleaded with them to leave her father alone and spare my husband. In fact, TIMARIV should be made to explain what happened to my husband,” Gloria said, weeping, while also calling on humanitarian and rights organisations to prevail on the traffic agency to explain what they did to her husband.
Reacting, the Controller-General of TIMARIV, Mr. Nelson Jaja, told CRIME DIGEST that investigation had already commenced on the matter. Jaja maintained that the officials of the agency were not allowed by law to carry arms, teargas or engage in physical combat with suspected traffic offenders. He noted that preliminary investigation showed that his men didn’t spray any substance on the deceased, but added that the investigation, which included an autopsy, was ongoing.
“My preliminary investigation shows that my people did what they were supposed to do. But the police are still carrying on with the investigation. I requested an autopsy to be carried out and something has been taken to the forensic laboratory in Lagos and our stand today is that we’re very sorry, we sympathise with the family,” Jaja stated.
He, however, said that if at the end of the investigation, any of his men was found to have used anything on the deceased, he would not hesitate to prosecute the person based on his capacity as the controller-general of TIMARIV. “I, as a person, will not tolerate anybody spoiling the good work we’re doing. If any of our men goes outside our code, I will deal with the person. I will personally prosecute the person. That is why I’m also interested in getting to the root of the matter. But for now, I’m convinced that they followed due process,” he said.
When contacted, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Suleiman Abbah, said three TIMARIV officials had so far been arrested in connection with the incident.
Abbah, however, told CRIME DIGEST that investigation was ongoing on the incident.
But for now Gloria and her daughter are still mourning their departed husband and father.
newsnigeriana.com/a-45year-old-man-dies-after-scuffle-with-traffic-agents
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| Mr. Julius Iwhiwhu |
The officials of TIMARIV were said to have accosted the 45-year-old Iwhiwhu, who was an employee of Schlumberger Group, for purportedly breaking a traffic rule.
The deceased was said to have made a turn at the MCC Junction while returning from the church, making the TIMARIV men to arrest him. The argument that ensued between him and the officials of the agency attracted the attention of passersby, who pleaded for the man to be left alone.
Not moved by the plea of the passersby, the TIMARIV officials insisted that Iwhiwhu, who was with his eight-year-old daughter while driving, must be taken to their office. The deceased was said to have told them that he was ready to go to their office with them, but on the condition that he would be the person to drive his car.
Dissatisfied with the condition, the men allegedly struggled with Iwhiwhu while trying to get his car key from him. The deceased’s daughter, Miss Rukey Iwhiwhu, narrated her father’s ordeal in the hands of the traffic officials. According to her, the men had during the struggled pushed her father.
“When my dad was turning at MCC Junction as other cars were turning, they (TIMARIV officials) told us to park somewhere and as my dad stopped,” she said. “They told us to move with them to their office in Nkpolu. When my dad hid the key of the car, they started pushing the car to their office at Rumuigbo after ordering us to go down from the car so that one of them could drive it.
“But my dad told them that he would drive the car himself to anywhere they wanted him to go and as they were dragging the key with my daddy, they pushed him inside somewhere. When he came out from there, I saw one man in black trousers and white T-shirt. The man was with a laptop. When I went to see my father, he (my dad) told me that they sprayed something on his face and asked me to pray for him. He said that he was dying. But the people said he was pretending until he collapsed.”
The grief-stricken wife of the deceased, Dr. Gloria Iwhiwhu, said she got a call from her husband, asking her to meet him at Rumuigbo Junction. She said her husband claimed that the men of TIMARIV were harassing him. Gloria added that when she got to a point, a neighbour told her that Iwhiwhu had raised the alarm before he died that the officials of traffic agency, who arrested him, had sprayed a substance on his face.
“It was at that point that I was assisted by some passersby to take my husband to the hospital. He was later admitted at Rivers Hospital with the help of some policemen. But at about 5 pm the following day, he died and the police came to transfer his corpse to Kpaima Morgue.
“I don’t really know what to say again because my heart is broken. But TIMARIV should have considered the cry of my little child, who pleaded with them to leave her father alone and spare my husband. In fact, TIMARIV should be made to explain what happened to my husband,” Gloria said, weeping, while also calling on humanitarian and rights organisations to prevail on the traffic agency to explain what they did to her husband.
Reacting, the Controller-General of TIMARIV, Mr. Nelson Jaja, told CRIME DIGEST that investigation had already commenced on the matter. Jaja maintained that the officials of the agency were not allowed by law to carry arms, teargas or engage in physical combat with suspected traffic offenders. He noted that preliminary investigation showed that his men didn’t spray any substance on the deceased, but added that the investigation, which included an autopsy, was ongoing.
“My preliminary investigation shows that my people did what they were supposed to do. But the police are still carrying on with the investigation. I requested an autopsy to be carried out and something has been taken to the forensic laboratory in Lagos and our stand today is that we’re very sorry, we sympathise with the family,” Jaja stated.
He, however, said that if at the end of the investigation, any of his men was found to have used anything on the deceased, he would not hesitate to prosecute the person based on his capacity as the controller-general of TIMARIV. “I, as a person, will not tolerate anybody spoiling the good work we’re doing. If any of our men goes outside our code, I will deal with the person. I will personally prosecute the person. That is why I’m also interested in getting to the root of the matter. But for now, I’m convinced that they followed due process,” he said.
When contacted, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Suleiman Abbah, said three TIMARIV officials had so far been arrested in connection with the incident.
Abbah, however, told CRIME DIGEST that investigation was ongoing on the incident.
But for now Gloria and her daughter are still mourning their departed husband and father.
newsnigeriana.com/a-45year-old-man-dies-after-scuffle-with-traffic-agents
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