FAMILY,ARMY DIFFERS ON KILLING OF 3SC PLAYER

The Nigerian Army and the family of 3SC defender, Joseph Izu, who was killed in Okaki, Rivers State on Sunday, have given different accounts of how the footballer was died.

Father of the deceased defender, Reuben Martin Izu, stated that his son was killed by security operatives despite that “he showed the soldier (who allegedly killed him) his ID (identity) card saying he wasn’t a criminal but a footballer.”

Reuben also claimed that the men who killed his son took away his mobile telephone as well as his wallet.

The father of the former 3SC man then gave an account of how his son was killed and thrown into the river of the jetty in his hometown of Okaki.

“On Sunday, as I was about eating breakfast, they broke the news to me that my son had been shot by JTF (Joint Military Task Force) at home (in Okaki). I got the narrative of the story. You know the first time you cannot get the exact story. I was told he went to the jetty, a common place, in the village to take a swim. As he came out of the jetty after having a swim, he heard gunshots. Everyone in that area was running for safety, so he too decided to run to seek safety.

 As he was leaving the jetty, he came face to face with a soldier who shot him. He then showed the soldier his ID (identity) card saying he wasn’t a criminal but a footballer. The soldier then shot him a second time then he fell to the ground.

“They took his phone and made a video of him as he was struggling on the ground. He was pushed back into the water and he struggled in there and they (the soldiers) didn’t allow anybody to help him. Later he swam to the shore, so the soldiers left and some boys in the villagers then came to his rescue. At this time, he had lost a lot of blood. They took him to a nearby hospital to remove the bullets without success. He was then taken to another hospital but he died before getting there. Right now his remain is still in the mortuary.

However, the army has given a totally different story on how the footballer was killed. The Nigerian army claimed that Joseph Izu was in a cultist den as at when he was killed.

Source:Daily Trust