Policeman beats 40-year-old man to death for intervening in traffic dispute

Another death by police brutality? This was the question that forced angry youth to barricade the Lagos Roundabout and all entrances leading to Magaji Garin Police Station of Kaduna state, protesting the death of a Print Technician who was allegedly killed by a policeman. Even commuters, commercial motorcyclists and residents of the area ran helter skelter for cover as the angry youth displayed green leaves, demanding immediate justice over the killing of an innocent citizen. It was gathered that the deceased , Elisha Joseph, a 40-year old man, out of his love for peace intervened in the fight between a policeman and a prisons official over their rights on the Forcados/Bonny street road. According to an eyewitness, Joseph couldn’t condone the traffic caused by the two security men as their argument
lasted, thus, he left his shop and went to meet them. On getting there, his words of advice was misinterpreted and the Police officer transferred his aggression on him, asking who made him a judge over the case, subsequently, he hit the Print Technician so hard on the stomach and head repeatedly. “After hitting him, the policeman dragged Joseph into his vehicle. People were shouting that the policeman should leave him alone. He left him and the deceased, stood up and went to the hospital for a check-up. He died in the hospital” However, when contacted the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Adenaike utterly denied the involvement of one of his men in the death of Joseph. He simply said, “As a journalist, go and do your investigation very well, no policeman beat him, no policeman hit him, he was foaming in the mouth, I think he is diabetic. He took himself to the hospital and died there.” With grieve and pains written all over him, the father of the deceased, Mr. Kunle Joseph lamented on the sudden death of his son who left home hale and hearty, “I am devastated over the death of my son, and as at the time of talking to you, I have not seen the body. I am presently in a state of confusion. There is no action that will bring him back to life but we want justice to be done,” he said