ELIZABETH VINCENT, Yenagoa
The family of Patrick Peresousdei, who died six days after his release from a detention facility operated by the Bayelsa state police command known as Operation Puff Adder, has accused security operatives of subjecting him to severe torture while in custody, allegations the police have firmly denied.
Patrick’s younger brother, Destiny Peresousdei, alleged that Patrick was brutalised by Bodmas Kemepadei and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) before both brothers were handed over to the police.
According to Destiny, his brother was already critically ill by the time police officers took custody of him, following what he described as sustained physical abuse.
Amid growing public concern over Patrick’s death, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, visited the Peresousdei family as part of a fact-finding effort aimed at easing tensions.
In a video documenting the visit, Destiny openly challenged police claims that Patrick had sustained injuries prior to his arrest.
“My name is Destiny Peresousdei, and it was on January 15, 2026, around 5:45 a.m., when someone knocked at our gate,” Destiny recounted.
“We later realised it was Bodmas’ vehicle. My brother went downstairs to open the gate, and immediately Bodmas started slapping him.”
Destiny alleged that four NSCDC officers subsequently joined in the assault,he said both brothers were forced into a vehicle and driven not to a police station—but first to Kemepadei’s residence.
“At Bodmas’ house, some boys came out, lifted us, threw us on the floor, tied our hands and legs, and beat us for close to three hours,” he said.
“They used planks and machetes. We were bleeding before they finally took us to Operation Puff Adder.”
According to Destiny, the brothers were detained without any formal statement being taken or petition filed; they were held for several days, during which Patrick’s condition deteriorated.
Destiny said that when they were briefly separated on January 20, Patrick appeared healthy, but when he was later returned, he was gravely ill.
“They just threw my brother to me, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t raise his arms or even his neck, Destiny said that, when my uncle rushed him to the hospital.”
Patrick was taken to several public hospitals across Bayelsa state before being referred to tertiary medical facilities in port harcourt, the family reportedly struggled to raise the funds required for his treatment.
Patrick eventually died on January 28 after developing severe breathing complications.
“The police never took my brother to a clinic, Destiny added,everything we did was on our own.”
The Bayelsa state police command has yet to issue a detailed public response to the allegations.
In the video referenced by SaharaReporters, police officials insisted that Patrick had pre existing injuries before he was handed over to them, a claim Destiny dismissed as “false.”
Meanwhile, civil society organisations have called for an independent and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Patrick’s arrest, detention, and death, renewing concerns over alleged abuses within specialised police units operating in the state.
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