Unruly Behaviour of Police Officers In Sapele Area Command
HOW THE SAPELE AREA COMMAND OF THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE ASSAULTED ME AND MY FAMILY, VIOLATED OUR FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND IS SHAMELESSLY GIVING A VERY BAD NAME TO THE NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE.
Very early in the morning on the 22nd day of July,we were still on bed when we heard loud noise of people forcefully breaking our doors to get into our house.
Some at the frontage and some at the backyard,noise everywhere and threatening telling us to open the door,we were so afraid thinking they were armed robbers or kidnapper’s.
They successfully broke the back door and gained entrance,we saw that they were hefty police men armed with guns and stick’s.
They claimed they are police from area command, that there is a petition written against one Kingsley and his gang.
While I was being interrogated by one,my children and my younger brother were being molested and beaten with sticks.
They assaulted my daughter and tore her clothes and my 12 year old son was beaten with a stick.
They were all frightened in a state of terror unleashed by the Sapele Area Command of the Nigerian Police Force.
I told the police that it would have been better that they introduced themselves as the police instead of spoiling our properties, breaking our doors and molesting my family, mostly my young children.
So I pleaded with them to allow me dress properly cause I was still on my nightwear and I followed them.
As I came out after dressing up properly,my brothers were handcuff and being beaten with heavy sticks.
They put us inside the car and drove us to Area Command in Sapele.
On getting there,they said one Mrs Marian Eke Shaibu wrote petition against one Kingsley and his gang that they broke her blocks.
This woman happens to be our tenant and neighbor.
On the 18th day of July we were taking a walk in my late mother’s land in respect of which a case is already in court with Amua-Idiemo Community and the court has issued an injunction over the land.
The case was also reported to the police at Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin City due to the Amua-Idiemo people that encroached on the land, who also fought us, broke our beacons, injured us and threatened our lives, a matter presently under investigation by the police at zone 5.
I met this Mrs Marian Eke Shaibu with some group of moulder’s working on the land.
I greeted her and asked her who gave her work to do on the land, she said it’s her land.
I replied her telling her this land is a disputed land already in court both injunction and restriction has been put on the land that no agent or worker should be seen on the land.
She should also confirm from the amua-diemo community people that sold the land to her.
Then I called my lawyer immediately and reported what is happening in the disputed land.
He said on the next adjourned date in court we will have to report it to the court but that I should also snap and video what was going on on the land as an exhibit in court which we did and left, only for the Sapele Area Command to invade our family house and most brutally and unprofessionally take us into custody without warrant.
We were only released that day after coughing out N260,000 (two hundred and sixty thousand naira).
I am not a criminal and neither myself nor my family broke any law.
We have been most heinously harassed by the police that is supposed to be our friend.
I am convinced that with a President like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, renewed hope has indeed come to Nigeria and it is a complete disgrace for any police formation to be conducting itself in this most illegal manner.
I demand justice.
Martha Yaye Onokpasa.
