The petitioner had told the #EndSARS panel that his brother had not been seen since his arrest by the Abba Kyari-led IRT of the police force in 2018.
The panel investigating cases of police brutality in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the former head of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigerian police, Abba Kyari, to be produced over a case of alleged enforced disappearance of a suspect arrested in 2018.
It ordered that Mr Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, who was, in July, fingered in a $1.1million fraudulent scheme by the United States government, be produced along with Vincent Makinde, a police inspector, also of the IRT.
They are scheduled to appear before the panel on November 26.
It was the umpteenth time the 11-man panel, set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS anti-police brutality protest, would be giving such an order, as previous invitations by the panel were snubbed by the police officers.
Missing
Morris Ashwe, missing since 2018, was said to have been arrested by the Mr Kyari-led IRT in Makurdi, Benue State, on May 1, 2018.
His brother, Raphael Ashwe, who petitioned the panel, said Morris was detained and paraded at a police station in Makurdi after his arrest.
He added that the family had access to him until he was moved to Abuja two days after the parade.
According to him, the family has made several appeals and sent many letters to the IRT, asking for information on the whereabouts of his elder brother, all to no avail.
In his petition filed, the petitioner joined the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the IGP, along with Messrs Kyari and Makinde as the respondents.
Tuesday’s proceedings
Garba Tetengi, who presided over the proceedings in the absence of the chairperson, Suleiman Galadima, on Tuesday, restated the panel’s previous orders to the police officers to produce the two officers to shed light on the matter.
Concerned about their absence from the proceedings, Mr Tetengi asked the leader of the police legal team at the panel, James Idachaba, to ensure the summoned police officers appeared for justice to be done.
But Mr Idachaba appealed for the postponement of the defence by the police.
“The defence counsel cannot close the defence without hearing from the respondents especially Inspector Vincent Makinde. The allegations against him are weighty. We ask that the panel adjourn the case for the sake of fair hearing,” Mr Idachaba said.
He said while Mr Makinde had been bed-ridden for six months, Mr Kyari was unavailable because he was under suspension.
Mr Kyari was suspended by police authorities after he was fingered in a $1.1million fraud scheme unveiled by the United States government in July.
The fraudulent scheme was allegedly coordinated by a former Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Abbas Ramon, better known as Hushpuppi