Bohol police chief welcomes CHR probe on death of Abu Sayyaf man

In this May 6, 2017 file photo, Bohol policemen bury the remains of suspected Abu Sayyaf member Abu Saad (full name Saad Samad Kiram) after he was killed on May 5, 2017 in an escape attempt. (CDN FILE PHOTO)

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol — Senior Supt. Felipe Natividad, the Bohol police director, welcomed the investigation of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the escape and subsequent death of an alleged Abu Sayyaf member less than 24 hours after he was arrested.

“That’s ok. We are open to (an) investigation. It is better in order to clear everything,” said Natividad on Monday.

Natividad said that the Philippine National Police has started a separate investigation on the death of Saad Samad Kiram alias Abu Saad.

“There is an internal investigation together with CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group), ongoing yan,” he said.

Alfonso Bayocot Jr., head of the CHR-Bohol, went to the Bohol Provincial Police Office on Monday morning to secure a copy of the official police report on death of Abu Saad as part of an in-depth investigation.

“We want to be enlightened on what really happened. He might be a terrorist but our office has a mandate to investigate cases of human rights violations,” he added.

Police arrested Kiram in the morning of May 4 after he went out of hiding to ask for food. Although he was fed by a resident, the police were tipped off of his presence that led to his arrest.

He was brought to the Bohol Provincial Police Office in Tagbilaran where he was interrogated. By early morning of May 5, he was transported to the Bohol District Jail, also in Tagbilaran, where he was supposed to be detained.

But Kiram allegedly escaped about 2 p.m. and was cornered more than two hours later when he was shot thrice while grappling for a gun from a policeman.

He suffered gunshot wounds in the thigh, chest and forehead.  SFM

Suspected Abu Sayyaf member Abu Saad (Saad Samad Kiram) after he allegedly tried to escape from the custody of Bohol police and was subsequently shot dead in a struggle for the gun with a cop. (Photo contributed to the CDN by Ted Aying)