The Cross River State High Court has discharged and acquitted 14 dismissed policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the murder of a young man, Derek Maurice, and five others in 2014 in Calabar.
The deceased’s family had dragged the policemen to court for allegedly killing Derek while he was in detention, following which they were eventually dismissed.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Obojor Ogar, said the prosecution did not prove beyond all reasonable doubt that the accused were guilty of the charges against them.
Reacting to the judgement, one of the counsels of to the defendants, Gregory Bissong, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, saying the prosecution could not provide enough evidence to prove that the men committed the crime.
However Derek’s mother, Mrs. Enoh-Maurice Enang, said they would take the matter to a higher court.
“This is just the beginning of the matter. Derek had a right to life. He did not commit any crime. He did not have any problem with the police. They just killed him because they felt nothing would happen. My son has been deprived of his right to life. I would not be deprived of justice in this case,” she said.
