Police officer sentenced to death by hanging for killing a sachet water dealer

A Police Inspector identified as Samuel Timothy was today sentenced to death by hanging by a Rivers state High Court for shooting and killing a sachet water dealer, Onyekachi Nwasouba at No. 34, Old Aba Road, Port Harcourt on November 10th 2010.

According to court documents, the deceased who is a graduate of Industrial Chemistry was wrongfully shot at and killed by a team of police officers led by Inspector Timothy after they wrongfully branded the deceased an armed robber.

They shot at him despite his repeated plea that he was not an armed robber but only a sachet water dealer. In a three hours ruling, the trial judge, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, said that the convict (Timothy) demonstrated an act of inhumanity through his action.

He said the testimonies given by witnesses at the scene of the incident, pointed to the fact that Timothy was an “Inhuman, trigger-happy policeman, who engages in murder; a hater of humankind and a merciless killer.”

“According to Section 319 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I do not have the power to reduce your sentence. That, you, Inspector Timothy Sampson be hanged on your neck until you are dead,” he said. Timothy who had served in the Nigeria Police for 33 years was due for retirement in the next two years when this incident happened.