Rivers: Akwa Ibom Community Protests Death Of Kinsman in NNPC Facility, Seals Premises
By ERIC MOORE
The Akwa Ibom State community on Friday, defied the heavy rainfall to protest the death of 23 years old Asher Christopher Dan, who died inside the premises of Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Moscow road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 in an unclear circumstance.
The protesters with different placard inscriptions, like ‘we want explanation on Asher’s death’, ‘who killed Asher’, stormed at the gate of Rivers State Police Command Headquarters at Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, where members of the family and representatives of the group were invited for a meeting with top senior Police officers.
It was gathered that after the group met with the ranking Police officers, the protesters were told that the matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).
The protesters later matched to the NNPC headquarters where they sealed the gates with native palm front and the picture of the deceased placed at the gates before leaving for the SCIID.
Pentoks News, who monitored the protest, disclosed that no official of the company came out to address the protesters.
In an interview with journalists, King Albert, the event coordinator of Akwa/Ibom community in Rivers State, said, “regarding to the subject matter, our boy, Asher Dan Christopher came to work on the 20th of this month (August), only for us to get information that an incident that occurred as at 10am in the morning, we got information by 4pm that the young man fell from this upstair, this storey building and died.
“But, the same people are telling us that they were not there present when the incident happened. We saw the clothes of this young man at fourth floor, while they are telling us that he fell from the eighth floor.
“Now, these people in question up till date, seize the corpse of the young man, refusing the family and the entire community of Akwa Ibom people to see the corpse of this young man.
“So, we are calling on the Commissioner of Police, the Rivers State government, all respected individuals of this state to come into this matter because it is a matter of Akwa Ibom State and Rivers State.
“And it is very important because the Akwa Ibom State government is aware of this and they will definitely come into this matter.
“We need justice; we need an autopsy; we need to see the corpse of this young man because they (occupants of premises) are telling us they will not allow us access to the corpse of this young man for 14 days, so that we have access to do what they want to do.
“We need justice for Asher Christopher Dan.”
It would be recalled that on Thursday, August 22, Mr. Christopher Dan, deceased’s father, told journalists in an interview that he was yet to see the corpse of his son.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), had earlier confirmed the incident to journalists, adding that investigation is ongoing.