The family of Late Mr Francis Arunsi, the 19 years old young man who was gruesomely murdered by a drunken Police Constable on Friday 17th April, 2020 at Ebem Ohafia during the COVID-19 lockdown which spark outrage among the people of Ohafia and Abia state in general, has submitted a petition to thenAbia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality and Extra Judicial killings by Security Agencies.
In the petition which was signed, on behalf of the deceased family, by Chief Kingsheart Ubani Kalu Ukpai, the family is demanding among other things:
-Justice for the murdered Francis Arunsi, by ensuring that the trigger hungry police officer who they alleged has being under protective custody from the time of the incident till date, should be made to face the full wrath of the law by being prosecuted in accordance with the law of the land. The family said that would prove that no one is entitled to take away the life of any person as adequately enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.
– The family is also demanding compensation for losing Francis Arunsi, whom the Umua Nneibo Maternal Family described as a promising young man and an upcoming star, who was killed by a trigger hungry drunken police officer, for this the family demanded for adequate compensation from the authorities concerned.
-Among the demands made by the Umua Nneibo maternal family is the reformation of the Nigerian Police Force. The family stated that the reformation of the Nigerian Police Force is very essential, as the primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and properties of her citizens and not being killed by those who are expected to protect them. The family stated that they would not like another family to experience or pass through the trauma the Umua Nneibo maternal family passed through.
They are therefore demanding that the Police authority ensure that the officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force work according to the ethics of the police profession.
According to the petition, this is the time to bring to account the atrocities committed by bad elements in the Nigerian Police Force and called on the Nigerian Police Force to demonstrate to the people that impunity would no longer be tolerated among its officers and men.
The family however, expressed its confidence, that the Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry will solve the problems already created by the irate police office who killed their son Francis Arunsi and other extra judicial killings by security agents in Abia State as well as prevent future re-occurrence of such incidents.