Norde Sylvester has narrated the ordeal he suffered in the hands of disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) who he claimed killed his 3-day-old baby.
Appearing before the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Police Brutality in Port Harcourt, Norde revealed a stray bullet from SARS operative penetrated the roof of his house and killed his baby instantly.
50-year-old Norde who works as a civil servant with the Universal Basic Education Board claimed the incident occured on October 15, 2020 in his home at Rumuohalu, near Port-Harcourt, The PUNCH reports.
“On that day, I was with my family in our house at no. 9 Hon Close, off Omodudoro, few metres away from the SARS office on Nelson Mandela Road.
“There had been shootings by SARS men which continued till we went in to sleep. We woke up in the morning to discover that one of their bullets penetrated the roof and killed my only daughter, a three-day-old baby.
“I picked up the bullet and went to the SARS office. When I got there, I told them that they have killed my daughter.
“Two of the SARS men ordered me to go back, threatening that if I did not leave, I would join my daughter,” he said.
Legal counsel for Commissioner of Police, Mrs Mercy Nweke chided the grieving father for not reporting the incident to a Police station.
According to her, the bullet alone could not prove that SARS operatives indeed killed the three-day-old baby.
Nweke said, “This is ammunition (referring to the bullet). It has not been used. Something that has not been used cannot kill anybody.”
S. O. Inko-Tariah, Commission’s counsel was quick to counter Nweke’s statement saying, the victim’s father was no gun expert and hence could not determine if the bullet seen had been used or not.
Justice Chukwunenye Uriri (retd.), Chairman of the Panel said the evidence was an exhibit which could not be discarded. He asked Norde Sylvester to state his request before the panel.
Replying the Justice, 50-year-old grieving father said “All I need is justice for my baby that they killed and also my house that was damaged,”.