Theddeus Duru (52) has not been seen since Friday, January 17, after two Flying Squad members from the Brixton police allegedly went to his house, beat him up, suffocated him, loaded him into their car and left.
The incident occurred at around 10am, on a property situated at the intersection of Turvey Street and Elston Avenue.
An eye-witness known only as Dudu related the shocking incident to the City Times.
She said two officers in uniform arrived in a VW Golf GTI and told Theddeus to open the gate.
“After opening the gate, they searched him and the house, but could not find anything,” she added.
The officers apparently took his phone, which was off at the time, switched it on and asked him for a pin number.
“They then found a message talking about ‘coke’ and started beating him up and asking him where the drugs were,” said Dudu.
She claims the beating took place in the house, and further alleges that the officers then handcuffed Theddeus and put a plastic bag over his head to suffocate him.
Afterwards, one of the officers apparently went outside and reversed the car into the property.
“Officers then loaded him in the trunk of their vehicle and left,” alleged Dudu.
Theddeus’s brother, Michael, believes the officers killed his brother and disposed of his body.
“I think he was already dead when they left the house with him,” he said.
He went to the Benoni Police Station on Friday to open a case of murder, but the officers advised him to open a kidnapping case, as there was no dead body to prove the murder.
Michael believes the officers should be arrested as there are two witnesses to the incident.
It is thought there might be CCTV video footage from neighbouring properties, which could have captured the incident.
Benoni police spokesperson Lieut Nomsa Sekele said the investigating officer is still waiting for the footage, in order to view it.
She said the officers in question, who were roped in to assist with the drug problem, confirmed that they did go to the property, but that they denied ever assaulting anyone or leaving the property with anyone.
“They said they only searched the property and left after finding nothing,” said Sekele.
Police are investigating.
On Monday, a group of Nigerian men marched to the Benoni police to deliver a memorandum.
In it, they sought to bring the station commander’s attention to the “extreme measures” meted out against Nigerians by the police.
“Most of us are being tortured with wires, plastic bags over our heads and tear gas; we are also beaten with guns and other weapons,” said march leader Kingsley Onyeri.
He added that the “brutal beating of our brother and the possible killing” shows that the situation has got out of hand.
“Whenever the police see a Nigerian here in Benoni, they either see a criminal or a moneybag,” he said.
“We plead with you to inform your people that they are supposed to protect and not kill.”
According to Onyeri they will be visiting hospitals and government mortuaries in search of Theddeus.
Acting commander of the Benoni Police Station Col Thomas Maupa confirmed receiving the memorandum and promised feedback on Wednesday (January 22).
If the incident is true, then it will not be the first time a foreign national has died at the hands of the police in the Benoni area.
Last year, a Daveyton taxi driver and Mozambican national, Emido Macia, was handcuffed to a police van and dragged several metres before being thrown into the holding cells, where he later died.
The nine Daveyton officers implicated in this incident are expected to go on trial for murder this year, in the Delmas High Court.
“We plead with you to inform your people that they are supposed to protect and not kill.”-I cannot believe your audacity! Who is protecting us against you, drug dealing is a crime! Protection is for the innocent taxpaying residents of which you are neither. You are crying over one brother, we have been crying for years over the destruction you have caused in our town. Sympathy is something you do not deserve and innocent is something you may not claim to be. The only thing that is “OUT OF HAND” is that you have been allowed to carry on doing what you are doing for so long and that our Police are too incompetent to do anything about it.
Certainly not the people entrusted with the job.This a well known Nigerian Drug House ! The drug dealers are up in arms over the disappearance of one of their brothers when they have been destroying our youth for years so they must bear the consequence for brazenly breaking the law with the sale of drugs. It seems that these thugs are being protected by the Police , they have caused the deterioration of our town and do not contribute one iota to the economy of our country .Why does our Government allow these parasites in , who is benefiting ?
Congratulations Brixton SAPS !! You have done us proud!!! Pity that they didin’t get rid of a few more !!! Why are the Nigerians suddenly victims, when, only a few month ago, they were shooting each other in a supposed TURF WAR. Frightening the neighbors and selling their “wares” all over the area!! If Benoni SAPS did their job, Brixton SAPS wouldn’t have to come in and help them!! Stop Human Abuse!!! When they kidnap and enslave young girls and prostitute them!! Sell drugs and kill our youth !!! Brixton SAPS !!! Have a BELLS !!!
So glad this happened! Thank you Brixton for a job well done!! Just a pitty that a few more did not dissapear! This is a known Drug House! Drive past there and you see hookers operating from there, Nigerians giving you the thumbs up (asking if you ok or want more drugs) Look at their pavements! No pride what so ever!! Anyone is more than welcome to contact the Benoni SAPS and see how many cases are there on this house relating to drug dealing! They want their “poor brother”back – what the HELL about our childred that we lost due to drugs? People cant walk the streets anymore because of these unwelcome protected spiecies!!!! They rent houses, drive cars, have cell phones (are they RICA?) but they dont have jobs!!! THIS SPECIFIC HOUSE HAS 5 DSTV DISHES!!!!Where does the money come from? Do they pay their taxes like we do every month?! The police protect them and they have more rights than us!! How does this work? Send them all back to Nigeria! We need more cops like Brixton SAPS!!!!!
It is a sad day when drug lords from Nigeria
are allowed to rule what at one time was the best town on the East Rand.
I am disguested to see the state of our town being taken over and ruled by all these Nigerians. All our properties have devalued to such an extent,the sooner all these people go back to where they came from the sooner our town will become what it always was “The Best”. The only time that action is taken to rid this drug problem from Benoni is when Police from another area gets involved. WHY has it taken +- 5 years to get rid of this problem. Maybe its about time the residents of Benoni take the law into their own hands as this seems to be the only way out. NIGERIANS GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR TOWN!!!!!!!!!