THE Senate has begun a probe into the circumstances that led to the gruesome murder of a female member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Linda Angela Igweta, by a policeman, identified as Benjamin Peters.
The Senate which observed one minute silence in honour of the late Igweta, mandated the committee on Youth and Sports, Health and Police Affairs, to investigate the cause of the incident and report back in two weeks. Meanwhile, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki while reacting to the death of the NYSC member, said, “If they treated her, she might not have bled to death. These are deaths that easily could have been avoided. I think until we start holding people accountable to this kind of incidents, they will not stop. Because what is the purpose of we passing the bill, the president assented to it and still hospitals decide not to treat?. Is it that they are not well informed that such law exists?. “It is important for us in the senate to show that every Nigerian’s life is important, especially young ones that are just about to start their lives. It’s a loss that could have easily been avoided. We must continue to do our best to see how we can defend our people and let them know that their lives do matter.”
Resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a point of Order raised at plenary by Senator Atai Aidoko Ali, PDP, Kogi East who painted a gloomy picture of the manner the lady was killed by the Policeman, adding that the death was telling seriously on the psyche of the parents.
Senator Aidoko who came under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules said among others, “With the assent to the compulsory treatment and care for victims of gunshot bill 2017 on December 30, victims of gunshot can now receive treatment in the hospital without police report. This is a bill that has been passed and assented.
Despite this, two nights Miss Linda Angela, a corps member serving in Abuja was allegedly shot by police officers. The deceased was meant to pass out of the NYSC program today.” Contributing, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, PDP, Abia North, condemned killing of the female youth Corps member, saying “It is important we call police to order because we are having too many trigger-happy policemen and they use this purely on innocent citizens instead of using it on criminals. I would have been happy that those criminals who charged the seven policemen maybe others would have gunned them down. I wonder and imagine the kind of trauma her family will be going through now, preparing to receive their daughter only to receive her corpse.”
Credit: Vanguard
