By Esther Yakubu
A victim of police brutality, Francis Ogbajiin Friday pleaded with the independent investigative panel on Human Rights Violations by the defunct SARS and other units of the police to enforce his fundamental rights.
He alleged how he was tortured with his head down and two legs up.
He stated that the demand for enforcement of his fundamental rights is sequel to alleged detention and tortured unlawfully carried out by some operatives of the force.
Ogbajiin in a petition before the panel said he worked as a security guard at Bayelsa House, Federal secretariat, Abuja.
According to him, trouble started on the 11 of April 2020 when he and three of colleagues were invited to the central police station following a report of theft of some items in the area they were guarding.
He said that some of the missing items for which they were arrested include television set, banner, refrigerator and some documents from one of the offices in the building where they were securing.
He informed the panel that upon arrival to the police station that they were detained by the DPO central police station federal secretariat Abuja as suspect for the missing items.
Continuing, he told the panel that his family members applied for his bail and the DPO set the bail conditions which they eventually met on the 13th of Aprill.2020.
Additionally, he stated that the DPO without giving any reason transferred his case file to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the FCT police Command, Garki Abuja.
“I was thereafter detained at the SARS facility near abattoir on the order of ACP Mantu of SCID FCT”.
The complainant explained that he hired Nnaemeka Duhu Esq of Jimmy and Jimmy associates to secure his release on bail on the 28th of April, 2020.
“Again, the bail condition at SCID was met as stipulated by law but I was still not released.
“My counsel had to approach the authorities and was told they would have to waited for the nominal complainant before he could be release on bail”.
Duhu queried why they have to wait for an individual before a suspect who has met his bail conditions could be released, “but I was ignored”.
According to him, he sustained some injury as a result of the handcuffs on his wrist, adding “I was asked to confess of stealing the items or face death which he I refused”.
“I suffered untold hardship as a result of the arrest; lost my job and all interviews I attended after the incident were not successful” he said.
He therefore prayed the panel to compel the police to write an apology letter to him, to prove to his intending employers that he knew nothing about the robbery incident.
Similarly, in his testimony Ebu Peter Ogar an elder brother of the complainant corroborated his testimony on the fateful day, pointing out that the brother called to inform him he has been arrested in connection with theft.
He also told the police that the victim had lived with him for 4 years and never stolen a pin.
But counsel to the police Fidelis Ogobe pleaded for an adjournment to open defence and make enquiry on the names the complainant mentioned.
GarbaTetengi SAN who stood in for the chairman has ordered Ogobe to bring in the IPO of the case using the case file.
The matter was adjourned to 15th March, 2021 for continuation.
