The couple allegedly beaten by police
Below is the official statement released by friends of the victims;
"The Igbo residents of Magbo ,Obada Zone 5 Community of Fortune
Estate in Agbara, Lagos has cried out and sent a save our soul (SOS)
message to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase in a matter of
urgency to set up a panel of enquires into the recent Brutalization of a
Member of their community, Mr. Chukwuka Paul by the Men of the Nigeria
Police force Area K, as they pounced on Mr. Paul and his wife beating
them to coma before he was taken into custody for close to 72 hour
without concrete evidence against the gentleman and his family.
It was gathered that on Thursday 19th of may 2016, about 8
heavy armed men storm the residence of Paul Chukwuka where he also has
his house finishing material store, order him to enter their vehicle,
while the latter was trying to know why such arrest is for him, they
bounce on him as if they gave them order to brutalized him, he was
handcuffed beaten and while his wife Ebele Paul and their little child
were shouting for help from the neighbors, his wife too was beaten and
stripped n*ked in the presence of sympathizers.
He was taken to Area K command where he was detained for over
72 hours, beaten severally with different wound scattered all over his
body, he was later released on bail."
In our attempt to Investigate the cause of such magnitude of
brutality in this model democratically world, some media houses visited
Obada zone 5 to hear from some eyes witness to the scenario, this paper
was one of the media house that visited the area, our first call point
was with the chairman of the Igbo community in Obada and it Patron. Mr.
Samuel Egwu and Alex Nwagwu respectively.
Speaking with the media, the president Obada zone 5 Igbo Community,
Samuel Egwu lamented the unprofessional conduct of the men of the
police force from Area K command on how they carried out the arrest of
Mr. police a member of his community.
Egwu said, "Yes I gathered that there was a transaction between
Paul and this woman in question, Paul sold a bed to that woman and
after 3 years the woman refused to pay back and you know that in
business no company gives three year guaranty, so I learnt that Mr. Paul
asked for his money and the woman went straight to Area K to lay
allegation that Mr. Paul beat her, the police just came, pounced on the
gentle man beat him together with his wife and child.
"Please I asked is it proper, without asking about the genesis
of the disagreement between the two of them, look before now we believe
police is our friend but now it's clear that they are our enemies. You
just act on one side story and start to brutalize an innocent soul. We
want to use this opportunity to call on the inspector general of police
Solomon Arase to please in a matter of urgent set up a panel of
enquiries to know what really happen before his men kill all of us in
this community.
"I am really disappointed in Nigeria police. I will also want
to call on our amiable governor to come to the aid of our community in
term of road and drainage because when its rain our children were always
at home because the flood is always too much he concluded."
Also speaking in the same vein, the patron of Igbo community Obada
fortune estate, Alex Nwagwu lambasted the Nigeria police for their
action in the area. He said for men of the police force to handle a very
sensitive cases like that, then some of their men lack professionalism.
"If you have some of those men as your friend then you don’t
have friend because they did not have regards for human being, look
people are always afraid to see the police. I have travel wide and far, I
do ask some of them that do they actually go for training before you
were employed? I think the police IG needs to know the kind of people
the force should engage. I think the IG needs to call them to order,
because they are tarnishing the image of Nigeria to our foreign
visitors. Please let the police boss look into this unholy brutalization
of our member." Nwagwu said.
We also met with the victim of that brutalization by the men of the Nigeria police force, Area K command led by one Moses.
In his reaction, Mr. Paul who spoke to us through pains from the
injuries he sustained while he was been arrested and in the police
station said he sold a set of bed to one Mrs. ogunfowokan who is a
neighbour too for 300,000. He said the woman told him clearly that she
did not have the money at that time but within a week she will meet up
with the payment, and because she has never requested for such, out of
trust he gave the woman the bed, after a month the woman paid 150,000
and since then she paid in pieces. Sometime 5, 10 thousand naira. Three
years later she still has 65,000 balance to pay.
"On that 19th of May, I saw this woman and asked her about my
money, she turn everything to quarrel and before you know it, police
from Area K stormed my store, they just asked, "are you Chukwuka?' and I
said yes, that was all. Before I could say anything about eight armed
men pounced on me, beat me mercilessly drag me to their car without any
explanation.
"Getting to the station, they said I should write a statement
that I was dragging and fighting them to resist arrest. I was kept
behind bars for over 72 hour, they beat me at interval, they even gave
me one tea. Initially, I resisted but because the beating was too
severe, I took the tea,
"I have not gotten myself, my stomach is paining me because I
don’t know what they use in preparing the tea. Please Nigerians help me.
IG of Police help me your men want to kill me. They release me on
Sunday, since Thursday. My children were fatherless for three days, my
wife too was a widow for three day."
On his wife, he said she did not know why the police was after her
husband life, she said she was strip n*ked by the men of the police
force.
In our attempt to get eye witness account we met with 5 people who
will not want their name mentioned, they said the police were wrong on
how they went about handling the case They said Paul was not at fault
because he is a business man who sold his market and the woman refused
to pay him. Instead of her to beg, she claimed she knows the police and
she will use them to frustrate the man.
This paper is determined to follow this case to a logical
conclusion, so we will continue to update you our readers as event
unfolds, whatever will be the outcome of the whole story time will tell.
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