YENAGOA, Nigeria — The younger brother 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 Alder, has accused security operatives of torturing Patrick while in custody, allegations the police have denied.
Patrick’s brother, Destiny Peresousdei, said Patrick though were assaulted as abused one Bodmas Kemepadei, alongside personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), before both brothers were handed over to the police that his late brother critically ill following alleged torture by some police officers.
In a obtained 20-minute video SaharaReporters in which the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, is seen visiting the family as part of a fact-finding effort aimed at calming tensions following Patrick’s death. In the video, Destiny disputes police claims that Patrick was already injured before 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 said. “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 later joined in the assault and that 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 Alder.”
According to Destiny, the brothers were detained without a formal statement or petition and held for several days. He said Patrick appeared healthy when he was briefly separated from him on January 20, but returned later in critical condition.
“They just threw my brother to me. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t raise his arms or neck,” Destiny said. “That was when my uncle rushed him to the hospital.”
Patrick was taken to several public hospitals in Bayelsa State and later referred to tertiary facilities in Port Harcourt, but Destiny said the family struggled to raise funds for treatment. Patrick died on January 28 after developing breathing difficulties.
“The police never took my brother to a clinic,” Destiny said. “Everything we did was on our own.”
The Bayelsa State Police Command has not publicly responded in detail to the allegations. In the video referenced by SaharaReporters, police officials maintained that Patrick had pre-existing injuries before being handed over to them — a claim Destiny described as “false.”
Civil society groups have called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Patrick’s arrest, detention and death, amid renewed concerns over alleged abuses at specialised police units in the state.
To Advertise or Publish a Story on NaijaLiveTv:
Kindly contact us @ Naijalivetv@gmail.com
Call or Whatsapp: 07035262029, 07016666694, 08129340000
