BENUE PRISONS COMMAND BURY KILLED INMATE WITHOUT FAMILY’S CONSENT

.Family Cries Out, Seeks Legal Redress

In a desperate move to cover up their negligence of duty, authorities of Nigeria Prisons Service, Benue State Command early in the week secretly buried an inmate, Mr. Tersoo Agidi at the premises of Nigeria Prisons Farm Centre, Jato Aka without consent of the deceased family.

Inmate Agidi Tersoo, 25, an indigene of Iyon in Turan of Kwande local government area of Benue state who was serving a jail term at the Nigeria Prison Farm Centre, Jato Aka was killed by Fulani militia who had attacked Turan land with just a few months left on his sentence.

Available records shows that the remains of the deceased inmate, Tersoo Agidi were deposited at the NKST Hospital Jato Aka mortuary on 25th March, 2017 by an officer of the Prisons Service, Mr. Thomas Wua PIP 11.

According to Mr. Agidi Denen, the deceased inmate’s immediate elder brother, the family only received the news of the demise of their beloved one some three months later by Chief Timothy Aloko, district head of Yaav ward of Turan via a letter dated 21st June 2017 addressed to Mr. Gber Agidi, their family member.

The letter by the district head Chief Aloko confirmed that the inmate was killed while serving a jail term in custody by Fulani militia and requested the family to come over and discuss with the Prisons authority for burial arrangement.

But before the family could show, a non family member, one Pastor Abachi James, a Kwande local government council staff believed to have connived with the Prisons officials to cover up the offence of negligence against them without the consent of the family wrote to the Benue State Command Controller seeking permission to bury the killed convict.

The fraudulent letter titled: Application/Permission to Bury A Convict Agidi Tersoo by the imposter pastor James Abachi was addressed to The Controller of Prisons, Benue State Command through The Officer Incharge Nigeria Prisons Service Farm Centre, Jato Aka  dated 22nd July 2017 and signed by same pastor Abachi one month earlier on 22nd June 2017.

According to records, the Benue Command of Nigeria Prisons Service granted the imposter pastor Abachi’s request via a letter with reference no. NPS/BNS/SHQ 128/VOL.IV/153 dated 29th June 2017 and signed by Adike Patience (DCP/MED) for Controller of Prisons, Benue State Command.

Investigation shows a disparity in dates which suggest criminality.

Whereas the imposter pastor Abachi’s letter was written on 22 July, 2017 and signed by him on the 22 June 2017, one month earlier, the reply of the Controller of the Benue Command to the said suspicion letter was conveyed on 29th June, 2017 clearly more than twenty days before the said letter was written.

Dissatisfied with the foregoing conspiracy, the Agidi Tor family had contacted Chief EK Ashiekaa SAN for legal action against the Prisons Service.

It was gathered that in swift compliance with the family brief, Chief Ashiekaa SAN via JT Injuwa had written the Prisons Authority demanding the cause of the death of inmate Agidi Tersoo, a development which is believed to have angered the Prisons authority resulting to their decision to ignore the family and bury the deceased inmate in the prison yard.