A large number of Nigerians have condemned the chaining
of an Edo State driver to a patrol truck along Sopkonba Road Junction, Benin,
the Edo State capital.
A resident, Augustine Ogbomwan, who was filming the
torture of the unidentified driver with his mobile phone camera, was also said
to have been detained by the police.
It was learnt that some cops attached to the Esigie
Police Division had stopped the driver’s vehicle on Sunday.
The
policemen allegedly asked the driver to alight from the vehicle and searched
him.
A
businessman, Franklyn Irabor, who lived close to the scene of the incident,
said when the cops did not find anything on the driver, they searched the
passenger in the vehicle, but did not also find anything incriminating.
He
said, “One of the policemen bent down and picked something from the
ground. He then challenged the passenger over the item, which they said
was hemp.
“Suddenly,
the passenger fled and they arrested the driver. They hit him with their batons
and guns before handcuffing him to their patrol truck. They drove away as the
man initially struggled to catch up before falling, while the police van
dragged him on the road.
“The
driver started calling for help. We could not bear the man’s pain and we
decided to intervene. The policemen challenged us for interrupting police
business.
“My
elder brother, Courage, who was with me, told them that there was no
justification for their action; but they asked him to shut up. One of the
officers cocked his gun and threatened to shoot us.
“We
thought it was a joke, until they started firing into the air. One of them
pushed my brothers away and another one came and handcuffed me. They hit me in
the back with the butt of their guns. I sustained bruises. They slapped my
brother who tried to stop them from arresting me.
They
also handcuffed him with me.”
Franklyn
said at that point, a crowd formed around the policemen to stop them from
leaving with the three of them, adding that the team called for a backup.
“We
thought it was a joke, until they started firing into the air. One of them
pushed my brothers away and another one came and handcuffed me. They hit me in
the back with the butt of their guns. I sustained bruises. They slapped my
brother who tried to stop them from arresting me. They also handcuffed him with
me.”
Franklyn
said at that point, a crowd formed around the policemen to stop them from
leaving with the three of them, adding that the team called for a backup.
He
said the new set of policemen, on arriving at the scene, however, chided the
team on the ground for their action.
“The
policemen that arrested me and my brothers were in mufti, while the new
policemen were in uniforms. The ones in uniforms told the other team that it
was wrong for them to handcuff and drag the driver on the road.
“Because
of the disagreement between the two teams, the ones in mufti left. One of the
other policemen apologised to us for our injuries and said he would find the
key of the handcuffs. After about 45 minutes, they came and unlocked our
handcuffs,” he added.
Another
witness, Kenneth Obasohan, who confirmed Franklyn’s account, described the
policemen’s action as irresponsible, adding that the attacks on the brothers
and the driver were unwarranted.
“The
driver was foaming in the mouth after they dragged him on the road with their
vehicle. They didn’t put him in the van and that was the genesis of all these,”
he added.
As
of 6pm on Wednesday, a video of the incident posted on Facebook around 12pm on Tuesday, had been shared by over
3,608 persons.
It was learnt that the
video, which was already trending on different social media platforms, angered
the Edo State Police Command.
A
resident, who had captured the incident on his phone, Ogbomwan, was said to
have been detained after the video went viral.
“They
actually arrested him on that Sunday and he slept in the station till Monday
when he was released after paying N30,000 for bail. They asked him to come for
his mobile phone on Tuesday.
“But
when they saw that the video, which was posted by another person, had gone
viral, the Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Idemudia, detained Ogbowan
when he went to collect the phone on Tuesday. The IPO said he was acting on the
orders of the Divisional Police Officer, who felt embarrassed by the video. The
man is still in detention,” Franklyn added.
Nigerians,
who saw the video, called for the punishment of the officers over the incident.
Source:Punch
Tags
Society