Police allegedly involved in soliciting bribes from Drug dealers, has lead to the death of one Nigerian national for refusing to bribe at Kempton park, Johannesburg.
JOHANNESBURG – Kempton Park residents say they want justice and an end to what they call “ongoing police brutality against Nigerian residents”.
Police clashed with an angry mob yesterday, who claimed an officer had beaten up and suffocated a man who police solicit bribe from on a regular occasion.
According to eye witness at the scene , a regular Golf GTI from the Kempton station does rounds around the area full of Nigerian residents. Where officers solicit and take bribes from drug dealing Nigerians to allow them sell an operate in the area. However, yesterday morning, one of the drug dealers refused to hand over bribe and was chased, brutally beaten, gassed and died at the scene.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has now launched an investigation into the killing.
At least 300 people surrounded the police vehicle in Kempton Park, claiming officers killed the deased and should be made accountable. Heavily armed police are standing around the car surrounded by the angry residents, demanding justice for the murder of the Nigerian citizen. Residents in the area, who are mostly say they do not condone what the deceased had done but see this as an opportunity to expose the corrupt SAPS officials.
The stampede with the police ended up in a riot with the police. Residents have dispersed from the area but police are monitoring the situation after they had to use stun grenades and rubber bullets against residents who threw stones and glass bottles.
Paramedics say they have treated scores of people injured in the clash with one officer sustaining an injury to the head when he was hit by a brick.
Before the clash Nigerian consulate official Mathew Okafor tried to calm the situation.
“We are not going to jump to conclusions because we want the police to do their job. It’s alleged that the Nigerian had drugs on him that he ingested.”
Residents became angry when Okafor appealed to them to allow the forensics team to do their jobs and investigate the death saying the man suffocated when he swallowed drugs.
