The family of 24-year-old Paul Obukohwo from Agbarho, Ughelli North LGA of Delta State, has petitioned the Police Service Commission, the Inspector General of Police, the Assistant Inspector General, and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, over the alleged torture and death of their son in police custody.
According to the petition, Paul was reportedly tortured to death by officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Asaba, led by one Officer Shepherd, after he visited the station to bail his younger brother’s friend, Prosper Odili. Odili had been arrested by the RRS for wearing camouflage shorts.
The death of the late Paul Obukohwo has brought serious fear and tension in the minds of Asaba residents if the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, is not turning or becoming wild like SARS, with the death of late Obukohwo alleged to have been tortured to death in an attempt to bail his younger brother's friend, Mr. Prosper Odili.
In a petition by Oghenekohwo E. Odioko's Chambers to the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, alleged that Officer Shephard and his team of Rapid Response Squad, attached to the Delta State Police Command, Asaba, alleged over unlawful detention and killing of late Paul Obukohwo, for no other sin but for daring to ask the RRS team why Mr. Proser Odili was arrested.
According to the petition, one Ejiro Obukohwo, younger brother to the late Paul Obukohwo, was going to work on the 26th of March 2025 in the company of his friend, Prosper Odili, when the RRS unit in their patrol van, stopped and ordered Prosper Odili to enter their vehicle because he was on camouflage short.
The petition had also said that the other officers led by Officer Shepherd, having arrested Prosper Odili, took him to his house for search without a search warrant. It was at that point that the late Paul Obukohwo asked the RRS team about the offence Odili committed. They declined to comment but rather vowed to deal with the late Obukohwo for daring to ask them questions.
According to the petition, it was when the RRS team was taking Mr Prosper Odili on handcuffed since they couldn't find anything incriminating in his house to their station that they said they were waiting for the late Paul Obukohwo to tell them (RRS team) who gave him the effrontery to question them why Mr Prosper Odili was arrested.
Meanwhile, Mr Prosper Odili and Ejiro Obukohwo, who were eyewitnesses to the incident, condemned the reactions from the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Bright Edafe, that the late Paul Obukohwo as reported in the national dailies that the deceased died of low blood sugar was on the acceptable and untrue story.
The eyewitness said the Delta State Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, out of the five hospitals the late Paul Obukohwo was taken to came out with a report that the deceased had low blood sugar and why Officer Shepherd took responsibility for all payments if they were not the ones that inflicted the injuries on him that led his death.
Speaking further on the issue, the eyewitnesses said, "Prosper Odili was arrested on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. The same Wednesday evening, the late Paul Obukohwo came to bail me but was later detained and tortured; the torture continued the following day, Thursday, when they brought him from the cell, and he was beaten to a coma as l overheard him screaming and calling for help.
"The PPRO DSP Edafe should ask the RRS team led by Officer Shepherd why they were at 2am on Saturday 29th of March, 2025 moving late Paul Obukohwo from one hospital to another to save his life if they had not meted injuries on his hands, legs, his entire body badly swollen and parts of his body already oozing black blood before he finally died.
"Why did Officer Shepherd's led RRS team, who had earlier demanded One million for their bail, later One hundred thousand, later refuse to ask for bail money for both when he realized that late Paul Obukohwo may not survive the injury meted on him and until his death, was there any statement written by late Paul Obukohwo during his arrest and detention.
"Hence upon this petition, we appeal to the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police and the Delta State Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to wade into the issue as we demand a thorough investigation of the circumstances leading to the unlawful arrest and inhuman torture resulting in the death of Mr Paul Obukohwo, whose life had been criminally cut short in his prime at the age of 24 for no justifiable reason whatsoever."
