Vigil held for man who died following alleged shoplifting incident in Dublin | RTÉ News

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]The death of a congalles man [music] following an alleged shoplifting incident in Dublin city center last week has been described by the justice minister Jim Okalahan as a distressing and concerning event. Tishak Mihal Martin said the death of Eve Sakila should be thoroughly investigated. The comments came as members of the congalles community held a vigil in Dublin city center.

[00:00:27]This is an excerpt of footage taken before the death of a congalles man in Dublin last Friday which has led to calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding an alleged shoplifting incident on Henry Street.

[00:00:42]Eve Squila was detained following the incident during which a man in his 80s was injured. Mr. Squila subsequently became unresponsive and was pronounced dead in the Matter hospital.

[00:00:54]Today, members of the Congolese community held a vigil on Henry Street and expressed concern about the level of force used on the 35year-old who was born in Congo and grew up in Galway and West Dublin.

[00:01:08]>> The feeling is very regretful, very sad and that what happened and we are truly [snorts] wants to get the community and society just to seek justice for the deceased individual.

[00:01:19]>> It could happen to me, it could happen to you. It's not black or white or anybody. So, do you know what I mean?

[00:01:25]So, all we need is just a justice for our brother. I keep saying my our brother because I knew him.

[00:01:31]>> I'm angry. I'm upset. I'm disgusted at the country I call home that could treat someone like this. This is not even this is not even it doesn't matter if they were white, black, yellow. It doesn't matter. This is this is a human being at the end of the day. You don't treat someone like that. The congalles community in Ireland are planning another demonstration at dairin on Thursday. Today the teshach was among those calling for the death to be thoroughly investigated.

[00:01:59]>> It's a very distressing and concerning event. You know as minister for justice I thought it was appropriate for me to uh look at the video and the first thing I want to do is I want to extend my condolences to the family of Mr. Squila.

[00:02:14]Uh the most important thing that should happen next is that there should be a thorough guard investigation.

[00:02:20]>> Any use of force, whether this is by a state agent such as Angardia or a private security official, should only be done when it is proportionate and necessary. And it is hard to see under any circumstance in regards to Mr. Eve Squila's death why detaining him with such force would be uh proportionate or necessary.

[00:02:38]>> Agar, the investigation into the incident is continuing.

[00:02:42]Well, Samantha's with me now in studio for more on this. And Samantha, there are actually two investigations ongoing.

[00:02:47]What stage are they at tonight? That's right, Vivian. Two investigations currently underway. The first, Agar, the one, and in a statement to RT tonight, they say they're investigating into all the circumstances around what happened on Friday is continuing, but there are no significant updates at this time.

[00:03:02]They repeated their appeal for anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage of it. And they said previously that the results of the post-mortem examination would help determine the course of this investigation, but the results of that post-mortem have not yet been revealed. The other investigation is being carried out by the office of the police ombbudsman Fis. And they put out a new statement today saying they attended the scene of that incident on Friday and that's in line with their statutory remitt which is for Fisru to investigate incidents where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured and that there's been contact with Gardi. It said a referral does not necessarily mean that Gardi have been accused of wrongdoing. And it says the focus on Fisu's independent investigation is only on the interaction of Gardi with the deceased. It also emphasized that Fisru is not investigating any civilian involvement in this incident. I think it's important to point out that the video footage that we're seeing today and that's been circulating of this incident only shows one aspect of a chain of events that happened on Friday. But the Irish Council for Civil Liberty says that the incident does raise serious questions about the level of force that private security personnel are allowed to use in the course of their duty. And I think that's very likely where the debate is going to continue in the coming days.

[00:04:14]>> All right, Samantha. Thank you.

[00:04:18]>> of Eve Sakila last Friday. He died after being restrained following an alleged shoplifting incident on Dublin's Henry Street. A number of investigations are underway into the circumstances of his death. Just before coming on air, I spoke to Pastor Rebea Oseno who knew Eve Sakila and described who he was.

[00:04:38]>> Well, uh, Eve Sakila was a young man, uh, who grew up here in Ireland and then he went to school here. He has a lot of friends, uh, especially those who went on the same school with him. And then he grew he grew up as a young normal uh, child. uh but there was a time a time where I mean he disappear among within the community but uh we don't know exactly what happened to the rest of uh his life after that but we knew him as a young a young boy used to come to the church with his parents with the family it's a lovely family a young I mean uh there were the family was a very good family in general >> you have obviously been speaking to his family whom you know. How are they doing since his death last Friday?

[00:05:32]>> Yeah, I mean the family is very sad at the moment. Uh I mean that's not only the family but all the community and then a lot of Irish people as well. So the family then they're really down and then they very upset about the situation and then especially to lose someone you know just around the 30 years between 30 and 35 years I think is something very uh difficult to really just to digest and then especially in the condition where um Eve himself passed away so it's not really easy to to digest the family they are going very very down at the moment. It would they are very sad at the moment.

[00:06:16]>> The footage of Eve Squila being restrained following the alleged shoplifting incident is concerning many people who worry that this response may have been disproportionate and there was an emotional vigil that took place today on Henry Street. How are people in the Congalles and the wider African community feeling about all of this?

[00:06:39]Yeah, I mean just uh we know that in all communities they are good and bad. Uh we there is not any specific community where everything is perfect. Uh here we are not encouraging uh I mean bad things within our community. But what's happened is that there were there was a very excessive use of force. Uh I think what happened is not acceptable in the sense that um those security personnel they they had a responsibility just to arrest him and then to pass it to the Gaudi but unfortunately they didn't do that and that's why everybody is concerned.

[00:07:16]>> There are a number of investigations underway at the moment and until they are completed we won't know the full facts about what happened. But what would you and the family like to see um in these investigations?

[00:07:30]>> Yeah, especially would like just really to be very fair and then I strong believe that the guardian will do a great job and then this is exactly what we like to see. We would like to see justice for Eve. Um and then we want really just everybody to to to come together to know that these kind of things should not happen again. Why? you know yourself in few mount island has to go to stand as uh uh in the presidency of EU. So what kind of uh island are are we going to present to the people and then we know that uh we have uh uh the guardi who can do a great job and they can do a fair investigation and then we want really justice to be for it and this is that uh what all of us myself included uh as some Irish people or the family or the community we would like just to see a fair investigation to be done. Okay, Pastor Rebea Asena, thank you so much for speaking to us on the 61 News this evening. We appreciate your time.

[00:08:34]>> Thank you. Thank you. It's a pleasure for me for inviting us.