By Amah
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Mr Stephen Mba, father of the late Moses Mba, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Calabar, demanding N950 million for the alleged killing of his son by security aides.
Moses Mba, 21, was alleged to have been killed by the aides attached to the Cross Rivers State Governor, Bassey Otu’s residence in Calabar.
Mba made the demand in a suit no. FHC/CA/FHR/79/2025 filed in the court by O. R. Ogboaka, Okon Efut (SAN) and Associate, his counsel.
In an originating motion filed on October 10, the applicant joined Mr Victor Edet, Police Service Commission, Commissioner of Police, the state Chief Security officer, and Governor Otu as respondents.
He prayed that the torture, assault, and the murder of the deceased was unlawful, unwarranted, flagrant abuse and executive recklessness against the deceased.
The second order demanded N950 million against the respondents as exemplary and aggravated damages in favour of the applicant.
Besides, the applicant explained that the amount demanded would be for general damages including the torture, murder and wanton violation of the deceased’s fundamental rights.
The applicant, in the motion, concluded saying, ‘’any such other order as the court may deem fit in the circumstance.’’
The mother of deceased, Mrs Victoria Mba, had alleged that her son was beaten and shot by the security operatives attached to the governor’s resident on August 1, 2025.
Mba had demanded justice for her deceased son.
She had explained that the late Moses died on August 9 at the Naval Reference Hospital in Calabar, following injuries sustained from the beating and gunshot.
According to her, the young Mba, who would have turned 22 in November, was beaten, shot, and left in his pool of blood right in front of the governor’s residence.
“We (my husband and I) were actually away in Abia State when the incident occurred; we got a call same day from an official of the Red Cross Society that rushed him to the hospital.
“Upon our arrival at the hospital, we sought to enquire from our son the event that led to his being beaten and the subsequent shooting.
“According to him, he only requested to see the governor and that he had a message for him from God.’’
Mba, who claimed that she was not excusing her son from claiming to have a message for the governor, said that the late Moses had the gift of prophecy, manifested at the age of 10.
According to her, we only pleaded with him to be done with his education before facing God’s work fully.
She claimed that that her son was beaten and shot as he insisted on seeing the governor and was left on his own without assistance from those who caused him harm.
“It was the Red Cross whose office had close by time that rushed him to the hospital as he was bleeding profusely from the gunshot injury.
“They (Red Cross) also paid the sum of N1.3 million, aside from other medical bills paid to operate on him,” she further stated.
Mba, however, noted that all through the period her son was hospitalised, security operatives from the governor’s office were at the boy’s hospital bed mounting surveillance.
She said that they were in plain uniform and changed duties three times a day, morning, afternoon, and night.
She added that one of the aides to the governor’s Chief of Staff, Emmanuel Dickson, was in touch with them and was coming around the hospital also.
According to her, the security demanded a copy of all the receipts generated for his treatments, just as the same was given to the Red Cross that footed the hospital bills.
“When my son passed on, on Saturday, Aug. 9., I called the same Dickson to inform him that the mortuary bill was N54,000 plus, but he sent us N50,000.’’
Mba further noted that few days after depositing the body at the morgue, some persons, led by the state’s Commissioner of Police were at the morgue to see her son’s corpse.
She said that the mortuary attendant alerted them to the visit but they instructed him not to allow them to see the corpse.
She alleged that they were being threatened by the aides and refused them from burying their son while accusing the deceased of having a mental disorder when he was alive.
According to her, my son never had any issue, he wrote the last JAMB and had 196, and his WAEC result is perfect. He was to study Business Administration at the University of Calabar.
“They are saying all I need is money, and that N3 million will keep me quiet. Nigerians should please help me, I want justice for my son, who is still in the mortuary,” Mba said.
The government of Cross River had condemned the beating and the shooting of Moses Mba that subsequently led to his death.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Erasmus Ekpang, who spoke with NAN, however, exonerated the governor’s security aides.
He also alleged that the boy (deceased) was not mentally stable and that the house he went to was actually the governor’s former residence.
According to Ekpang, “firstly, the house is not where the governor presently resides and secondly, only one security person was there when the boy visited.
“There is video evidence that the boy was throwing big stones at the policeman. He was not mentally okay and, at a point, has to apologise for throwing stones.
“In spite of this, we condemn the beating and shooting of the boy. It is not something that we should be happy about, no matter what.”
Similarly, the Commissioner of Police, CP Rasheed Afegbua, said the matter was before the DPP for advice.
“Whatever the DPP advice, we will follow,” he had stated. (NAN)
