Rivers mother wants the corpse of her son slain by an IGP squad and requests the prosecution of police

Victoria Agori, 51, has petitioned the police to disclose the remains of her son, Daniel Agori, 21, who was purportedly shot and killed in 2019 by a team of the Inspector-General of Police.

In December 2021, the National Human Rights Commission announced the granting of financial compensation to the families of 27 victims of police abuse.

Mrs Agori, 51, one of the recipients, said that true justice for her would be the release of her son's remains for burial and the prosecution of those responsible for his death.

While she expressed gratitude to the panel for the compensation, she said that the path to justice was difficult, noting that she submitted several letters and petitions without receiving a response.

"I petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN," she said.

"I also wrote to the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, the governors of Rivers and Bayelsa states, a human rights organisation, and the International Federation of Women Lawyers.

"I also wrote to the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Rivers State House of Assembly in an attempt to get justice for my deceased son."

On May 11, 2019, a team of police officers stormed her home in Nkpolu, East-West Road, and detained her and two of her children.

She said that her family was charged with robbery and abduction and those police officers manhandled and packed them into a car to be taken to a police station.

"They brought us to the Aluu Police Station and accused us of being armed robbers and trafficking firearms. They tortured us and murdered my son in my presence. No amount of money can ever make me forget my nine-month-old baby," Mrs Agori remarked.

On what she recalls most about her son, she said, "He (Daniel) often referred to me as 'Mumsy.' 'How are you, Mummy?' he would ask. What do you have, Mumsy? What are we going to eat, Mumsy? Mumsy, I'd like to sip tea; please purchase bread and so.' I constantly weep whenever I see bread or am sipping tea, since he, like me, enjoyed tea and bread.

"As a result, I am unable to forget him. I want them to hand over his body to me. That has been my cry for years in order to provide him with a decent burial.

"Then I demand that all police officers implicated in my son's killing be prosecuted." These police officers should be brought to justice and fired for being unfit to wear that uniform."

She expressed regret that the police leadership was protecting the assassins of her son.