{"id":116656,"date":"2025-06-16T13:03:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/06\/16\/dig-lagat-steps-aside-amid-pressure-over-blogger-ojwangs-death-in-custody\/"},"modified":"2025-06-16T13:03:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T13:03:37","slug":"dig-lagat-steps-aside-amid-pressure-over-blogger-ojwangs-death-in-custody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/dig-lagat-steps-aside-amid-pressure-over-blogger-ojwangs-death-in-custody\/","title":{"rendered":"DIG Lagat Steps Aside Amid Pressure Over Blogger Ojwang\u2019s Death in Custody"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya<\/em> June 16 \u2013 Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat has finally bowed to pressure and stepped aside to allow for independent investigations into the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody.<\/p>\n

Lagat announced his resignation in a statement, saying he was relinquishing his role in order to protect the integrity of the probe. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have today opted to step aside from the office of the Deputy Inspector General \u2013 Kenya Police Service pending completion of investigations,\u201d he stated, handing over to his deputy until completion of the investigations.<\/p>\n

The move comes after intense public pressure and repeated calls for his resignation by civil society, political leaders and members of the public following the murder of Ojwang who had been arrested over a social media post criticising Lagat.<\/p>\n

Ojwang was reported dead a day after his detention at Nairobi\u2019s Central Police Station where he is believed to have been tortured to death. <\/p>\n

A police report initially claimed he collapsed in custody, but an independent autopsy revealed blunt force trauma to the head, neck compression and multiple soft tissue injuries\u2014evidence consistent with a violent assault.<\/p>\n

Lagat, who had remained silent since the incident, also offered his condolences to the family. \u201cI offer immense condolences to the family of Mr. Albert Ojwang for their great loss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He pledged to cooperate fully with the authorities conducting the probe. \u201cI undertake to provide any support that may be required of me during the investigations of the unfortunate incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

President William Ruto, while commenting last week, had condemned Ojwang\u2019s death and said all perpetrators, whether civilian or in uniform, would be held accountable. Several police officers and three civilian detainees have since been arrested in connection with the incident.<\/p>\n

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is leading the investigation, which includes a forensic review of tampered CCTV footage from the police station where Ojwang was held.<\/p>\n

At least three senior police officers\u2014including Samson Talam, the Officer Commanding Nairobi Central Police Station\u2014a constable and a CCTV technician have been arrested in connection with the case.<\/p>\n

In a further breakthrough, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) arrested three civilian detainees\u2014Gin Ammitou Abwao, Collins Karani Ireri and Brian Mwaniki Njue\u2014allegedly used by police officers to torture Ojwang while in custody.<\/p>\n

Violent protests erupted in Nairobi last week as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets demanding justice for Albert Ojwang. The protests, which began peacefully outside the Central Police Station, quickly escalated into clashes with anti-riot police.<\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhat Did My Son Do to Lagat?\u201d \u2013 Father of Slain Blogger Demands Justice as Public Fury Grows<\/a>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya June 16 \u2013 Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat has finally bowed to pressure and stepped aside to allow for independent investigations into the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody. Lagat announced his resignation in a statement, saying he was relinquishing his role in order to protect the integrity of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116656\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}