A police counsel, Malik Taiwo, on Monday, told a petitioner before the independent investigation panel on human rights violations by the disbanded SARS and other police units that he was not detained by the police and as such should not expect any compensation from the panel.
Malik stated this at the adoption of final written addresses in a petition filed by Mr Emenike Festus Umezuruike, marked 2020/IIP-SARS/ABJ/219, in which he alleged unlawful arrest, detention, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment he brought against the police.
The respondents in the petition are DCO Rotimi of Cameron Barracks Police Station, Aba; Inspector; Sergeant Emma Crime, Umuagwo Police Station, Imo State, Cameroun Barracks Police Station; DPO Ikembuchukwu Abugu, Umuagwo, Imo State.
Others are Inspector Chinyere, Umuagwo, Imo State; Inspector Ebini, DCO Umuagwo, Imo; Commissioner of Police, Abia State; Commissioner of Police, Imo State and the Inspector General of Police.
The police lawyer, therefore, urged the panel, which sitting was presided over by a member, Dr Garba Tetengi SAN, on behalf of its chairman, Justice Suleiman Galadima (retd), should not be awarded any compensation because he was not detained by the police and his evidence not convincing enough.
According to Taiwo, the testimony given by the Umezurike should be dismissed by the panel and hinged his argument on the fact that no independent witness corroborated the petitioner’s testimony before the panel.
ALSO READ FROMÂ NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Bandits Storm Kaduna Airport, Stop Aircraft From Taking Off
- Lagos Socialite Who Distributed Petrol As Souvenir Sentenced To Two Years Imprisonment, Gets Fine Option
The police lawyer declared that contrary to the petitioner’s claim, he was neither unlawfully arrested nor detained for 58 days, submitting that his (Umezurike’s) claim was mere allegation aimed at tarnishing the police’s image.
Asking rhetorically that “what did he (petitioner) suffer as a result of the detention? Did he go to the hospital? Where was he detained?” Malik asserted that there was no clarity in Umezurike’s petition.
Umezurike had previously narrated his ordeals in the hands of the police, informing the panel that he was unlawfully detained for 58 days at the Cameroun Barracks Police Station in Aba, Abia State, alleging that the police tried to extort N5 million from him.
The petitioner informed that his ordeals in the hands of the police emanated from his attempt to sell a landed property when he was arrested and detained at Umuagwo Police Station in Ohaji Egbema in Imo State.
The said landed property he was trying to sell, according to him, was given to him one Johnbosco, whom he claimed was unknown to him to be engaging in the illegal business of framing charges against innocent people and using the police to detain and extort money from them in the name of bail.
“While at the police station, a lady surfaced and claimed that I duped her sometimes in 2007 which made the police to prolong my detention,” the petitioner told the panel.
According to Umezurike, all efforts he made to defend himself fell on the police’s deaf ears, declaring that he neither knew the said lady nor duped her up to the tune of N5 million as she claimed.
Umezuruike further alleged that he was tear-gassed and beaten with rope and cane by Inspector Ebini the officer in charge of crimes at the Cameroun Barracks Police Station Aba, Abia State.
He, therefore, pleaded with the panel to order the payment of N100 million compensation N100 million in his favour to assuage the alleged human rights violations meted out to him by the police.
While the panel informed that the petitioner’s counsel had submitted his final written address to the panel and subsequently adjourned the petition for the report.
and then