“Inside Bayelsa’s Puff Adder: Allegations of Torture, Gunshots, and Bodies in the Mortuary”
By Paul Ebi
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State — The leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa Branch, has formally petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, over the death of a suspect, Mr. Joseph Zolo, while in custody of the Puff Adder Unit of the Bayelsa State Police Command, raising renewed concerns over alleged extra-judicial killings and systemic human rights abuses at the division.
In the petition signed by the NBA Chairman, Somina Johnbull, and the Chairman of the NBA Human Rights Committee, Lugard Tare-Otu, and copied to the Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, the association accused officers of the Puff Adder Unit of engaging in a disturbing pattern of human rights violations that, according to the lawyers, demand urgent intervention.
The NBA alleged that on January 8, 2025, Joseph Zolo and two others were arrested by the Safer Highways Unit for alleged possession of marijuana and subsequently handed over to the Puff Adder Unit led by CSP Christian Nwaogbo. Zolo was reportedly detained from January 8 to January 12 without charge, trial, or access to bail, despite repeated efforts by his family to secure his release.
The petition stated that Zolo died in custody on January 12, 2025, allegedly as a result of torture that worsened pre-existing health conditions.
According to the NBA, the situation escalated the following day when the youth council leader of Kaiama Community, two relatives of the deceased, and their lawyer, Mr. Bodiswowei Oyomowie, visited the Puff Adder Division to seek clarification. Instead of answers, they were allegedly subjected to intimidation.
The petition claimed that officers seized their phones, locked the station gates, forced them to sit on the floor, and fired sporadically into the air, creating what the NBA described as a “life-threatening and highly traumatic environment.”
“It was only after the intervention of the Bayelsa State Government that those individuals were eventually released,” the petition stated, adding that the body of the deceased was later deposited in a mortuary without the consent of the family or adherence to proper legal procedures.
Describing the Puff Adder Unit as having become “notorious,” the NBA said the alleged actions amount to gross misconduct, abuse of power, and a blatant violation of citizens’ fundamental rights, warning that such conduct continues to erode public trust in law enforcement.
The association called for:
An immediate and thorough investigation into the death of Joseph Zolo;
A probe into the conduct of CSP Christian Nwaogbo and officers involved in the January 13 incident;
Disciplinary action against any officers found culpable; and
Concrete steps to dismantle what it described as a culture of impunity within the Puff Adder Unit.
“NBA Yenagoa Branch remains committed to the protection of human rights and the pursuit of justice for all citizens,” the petition concluded.
A Troubling Pattern
The latest petition has reignited public debate, as the incident occurred at the same Puff Adder police unit linked to the controversial Patrick Peresuodei case earlier reported by Tarakirivoice.
Under the headline “When Criticism Becomes a Crime: The Peresuodei Case Shakes Bayelsa,” the death of the Amassoma youth sparked widespread outrage following conflicting accounts from Apostle Bodmas Prince Kemepadei and social commentator Warri Stephen Bobraebiowei, Ph.D.
Bobraebiowei, in an open letter, accused the cleric of abusing influence and criminalising what he described as a social media “war of words,” questioning the cyberbullying and threat-to-life claims that led to Peresuodei’s arrest. He warned that failure to conduct a transparent investigation would deepen public mistrust, especially given the deceased can no longer speak for himself.
In response, Apostle Kemepadei denied any involvement in the death, insisting he only sought legal redress and had no contact with the deceased after the arrest. He maintained that Peresuodei was later granted bail for medical treatment and that allegations against him were false and defamatory.
Despite the denials, youths and community stakeholders have continued to demand an independent and transparent investigation, arguing that repeated allegations tied to the same police unit point to deeper structural problems.
As public scrutiny intensifies, rights groups warn that the Zolo and Peresuodei cases may become defining tests of police accountability in Bayelsa State — and of whether authorities are willing to confront allegations of abuse within their ranks or allow them to fade into silence.
