UNIPORT Students' Murder: "Victims Were Tortured By A Dog"

Suspects in the murder of "the UNIPORT four" at the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt

Port Harcourt — Before they were set ablaze, the four UNIPORT students were allegedly tortured by a dog, according to the words of Mr. Raphael Ezechi, a police officer who stood before the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

New horrific details of the murder of four University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) students that took place October 2012 in Omuokiri, Aluu community, were revealed at the resumed hearing.

Mr. Ezechi, of the State Criminal Investigative Department, who also is a Deputy Superintendent of Police, led in evidence by the Solicitor-General of Rivers, Mr. Rufus Godwins, narrated thus: "A team of policemen from Isiokpo Division was dispatched to the scene of the incident to rescue the students.

"But, due to the distance, the students were set ablaze before the arrival of the police."

The witness said he took photographs of the deceased students and a dog that is said to have been used to torture the students, adding futher that the information was also gathered from the Internet.

The defence counsel, however, objected to the prosecution's move to tender the photo evidence as exhibits, contending that the police officer was not the maker of the said documents.

The defence argued that no proper foundation had been laid for the admissibility of the photographs, urging the court to reject same.

Responding, Mr. Godwins, the prosecution counsel, said that the foundation was laid from records of proceedings by the court and urged the dismissal of the objection, which he described as misconceived by the defence.