Police arrest 8 policemen over alleged killing of Nigerian

The Nigerian Union in South Africa and families of Nigerians killed in that country may soon get justice as the South African Police have arrested eight policemen in connection with the alleged 2017 brutal murder of a Nigerian.

Mr Adetola Olubajo, President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria on Friday.

According to him, Mr Badmus Olalekan Ibrahim, 25, was allegedly tortured to death by his killers in Vanderbijlpark near Johannesburg in 2017.

“Badmus Ibrahim, a native of Ibadan in Oyo State was tortured and brutally murdered on Oct. 10, 2017 by police officers.

“The officers were arrested today (Oct. 5) in Vereeniging outside Johannesburg. They will be arraigned in Vanderbijlpark Magistrate Court on Monday (Oct. 8) for murder and torture,’’ he told NAN on telephone.

Olubajo said the police officers were indicted for murder and torture by the South Africa’s Independent Police Investigating Directorate (IPID) on Sept. 27, 2018.

He said the union had since the incident occurred followed up the matter with IPID to ensure justice was served to Ibrahim’s killers.

He commended IPID for its intervention and cooperation with the union in ensuring the culprits were arrested and charged.

“This is a welcome development as the community and the family of Ibrahim Badmus will hopefully get justice on the murder of their son.

“We call on South African authorities to investigate all murder cases involving our nationals irrespective of who is suspected to be the killer,” he appealed.

Olubajo said the eight police officers were currently held in Biopatong Holding Cell, Gauteng Province in the former apartheid enclave.

According to unofficial sources, up to 800,000 Nigerians mostly young people reside in South Africa.