In its nasty practice of parading suspects, the Benue State Police Command has paraded a 17year-old boy, Agayo Iorzenda for allegedly killing his mother at Tse-Agbaigbe Ikyurav-Tiev II, in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
It is alleged that the juvenile shot his mother dead with a locally made gun. He accused her of witchcraft and being the cause of his being impotent for the last few years.
Parading the suspect yesterday before newsmen at the Command Headquarters, the Command Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, Moses Yamu said Iorzenda was arrested on Monday by the police in Katsina-Ala. And the matter was still being investigated after which he would be charged to court.
Compelled to talk to reporters, Iorzenda said: “I went to consult the oracle over my impotence and I was told that my mother used my manhood for witchcraft and rendered me impotent. She did not want me to be a man. “So my friend advised me to kill her so as to use her blood to acquire spiritual powers that will help me become rich and also do many other things. That was why I shot her.”
Checkpointcharley strongly condemns this sad culture of parading suspects by the police, especially when juveniles are involved. What happens to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty?
How could such a suspect be re-integrated into the society if, after all, he was not found guilty or after paying the punitive price of his or her mistake?
I am of the view that parading suspects adds nothing to the vehicle of criminal justice. If at all, it only hinders investigation and objective disposition of the case by a judge since he would already have formed a hunch before the case is even presented.
As in this case, the police spokesman said that investigation was still on going. So where lies the logic in quickly pushing the boy before the cameras?
Parading of suspects, should only and only be reserved to high profile cases, not involving under age persons, when an overriding public interest is served by such parade show.
cpcnews.org 