Leera told the panel in the nation’s capital, Abuja on Monday that ASP Agbo killed his brother in Rivers State when he could not pay N3million bribe, he demanded from him.
An aggrieved man, Confidence Leera, has begged the Abuja Judicial Panel of Inquiry investigating abuses by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad to prosecute an Assistant Superintendent of Police, David Agbo, for allegedly killing his brother, Edward Leera.
Leera told the panel in the nation’s capital, Abuja on Monday that ASP Agbo killed his brother in Rivers State when he could not pay N3million bribe, he demanded from him.
He said that his late brother was forcefully arrested by Agbo and his team, firstly on July 30, 2019.
He said after being released on bail, he was re-arrested on November 2, 2019, and the police boss started extorting him through his Automated Teller Machine card.
He was later killed when he could not meet the N3 Million demand.
Confidence supported his claims with documents, but the defendant’s counsel, Gabriel Opata, asked the panel to give them time to study.
The cross-examination could therefore not proceed on Monday.
While defending himself, Agbo, who was also in charge of the intelligence response team (IRT), South-South, claimed Edward was an armed robber and was caught during an operation, but sadly died in their custody.
“They were going to attack Konoboue with their rifles. They started firing from all over the place; the firing was too much. We had to dive down,” Agbo said.
“We handcuffed two of them. They started running. I called my commander immediately, SP Martins that we were under attack. So after about ten to fifteen minutes, one of my boys was crawling, and we discovered that they were hit with bullets.
“We rushed them to General Hospital, Bori. They said they could not handle it. Then, we rushed them to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital on June 23, 2020. That was where they were confirmed dead.”
However, the family refuted the claims. They alleged that the ASP was demanding N3m bribe from the slain Leera brother.
“There was no time my brother was arrested for armed robbery. The first arrest was on July 30, 2019, in the convoy of the executive chairman, on their way coming from Bori,” Leera said.
“They started withdrawing money from my brother’s account when he was arrested. Again on November 2, 2019, down to October 6, 2020, they (the policemen) were with my brother’s ATM card.
“They demanded N3 Million from him. The ASP was not telling the truth, and there was evidence that payments were made into David’s accounts. Why did he release someone they claimed was an armed robber? Why did he release on bail someone he claimed shot a police officer?”
The chairman of the panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima, adjourned the case till January 11, 2021, for cross-examination.