The Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohammed Amin, has insisted that Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Taalam of Central Police Station should be treated as a suspect in connection with the death of Albert Ojwang.
Speaking on Thursday, June 12, Amin pointed to the initial communication from the police station on the cause of Ojwang's death.
The National Police Service (NPS) initially claimed that Ojwang had died by suicide, allegedly from repeatedly banging his head against a wall.
However, a postmortem report later contradicted this claim, revealing that he died from head injuries and neck compression.
"On why I said that the OCS is the principal suspect, the allegation of Albert Ojwang banging his head against the wall came from Central Police Station, and Taalam is the officer commanding Central Police Station.
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"Why would an officer coin such a narrative? That's why I said that whatever utterances the OCS is making, we should treat them with a pinch of salt. I have not said that he is an accused person, but we should treat him as a suspect because why would somebody coin that allegation," he said.
According to media reports, Talaam denied being the main suspect in Ojwang's murder while giving his statement to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
He reportedly stated that Ojwang was brought to the station in critical condition on the day of his death.
Talaam claimed that he and other officers tried to save Ojwang by rushing him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
He also refuted claims that he had objected to Ojwang being booked at the station.
Additionally, Talaam revealed that he was not present at the station when Ojwang was brought in and only arrived after being informed of his deteriorating condition.
