South African police officer jailed for 30 years for killing Nigerian


A South African police constable, Austin Reynold, was on Monday, sentenced to 30 years in jail by a court for killing a Nigerian man living in that country.

Reynold, 24, was accused of killing Ebuka Emmanuel Okoli on January 19, 2018 in Durban, Kwa Zulu-Natal Province, South Africa.



The court sentenced the policeman three days after he was found guilty of shooting the victim at close range and robbing him during an unauthorised raid on a community where Okoli resided.

The convicted officer was found guilty on all four charges, including one charge of murder and three charges of robbery.

Reynold‘s accomplice in the raid, Brinley Pallo, had testified against him while giving his testimony before Judge Shyam Gyanda on Friday.

The Durban High Court had found Reynold guilty of murder for the killing of Okoli last Friday.

The Nigerian Union South Africa welcomed the judgment of Judge Shyam Gyanda on the “brutal” murder of Okolie who was shot in Durban on January 19, 2018.

The NUSA President, Adetola Olubajo, had said, “Austin Luciano Reynolds, the 24-year-old South African police constable, was found guilty today Friday 29th November 2019 for the January 19 2018 murder of Ebuka Okoli a native of Anambra State in Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal.

“The accused was found guilty on all four charges, one charge of murder and three charges of robbery. The accomplice of the accused during the illegal raid turned state witness.”

Ebuka was reportedly shot during an alleged illegal raid by Reynold and his colleague on the community where the deceased resided in Durban.

The statement added, “He (Ebuka) was robbed, tortured, handcuffed, and later shot at close range by the officer who was off-duty at the time of the raid.

“We have been monitoring the case since the inception and very grateful and appreciative of the role played by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, because without them, this case would have been one of the numerous unresolved murder cases of Nigerians in South Africa.”

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