Matilda Omonaiye/
Police authorities have commenced investigation into allegations that some officers attached to the Eagle Crack team at Mile 1 Police Station, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, robbed, detained and tortured five automobile mechanics for committing a traffic offence on December 19, last year.
One of the victims, Chima Ikwunado, later died in the custody of the police as a result of the torture he was allegedly subjected to.
His remaining colleagues, identified as Victor Ogbonna, Osaze Friday, Ifeanyi Osuji and Ifeanyi Onyekwere, were also framed up for robbery by the police to cover up Chima’s death. They were subsequently charged to court and remanded in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre till date.
The victims’ sad story was shared by a Twitter user with the handle, @MistaGomez_
According to the story, which was copied from the Facebook page of one Comrade Phils, the victims were test driving two vehicle they had just finished repairing when they were arrested by the policemen for driving against traffic.
After searching the their pockets and finding a total sum N150,000, the policemen said they were arresting them on suspicion of robbery and proceeded with them to their station.
At the station, the victims were allegedly tortured to the point when youngest among them, who is 19, agreed to confess to any crime the policemen wanted.
He was subsequently forced to write a statement that he and his colleagues stole one of the cars from a lady in Port Harcourt and were at the point of selling it off when they rounded up by the police.
Even after the real owners traced their vehicles to the station and made statements to the effect that the vehicles were not stolen but under repairs, the investigating Police Officer and the commander of the squad, identified as SP Benson Adetuyi, insisted on detaining the victims because they were being investigated over a separate allegation of cultism.
It was afterwards that Chima died in their custody and the remaining victims were charged to court for robbery and cultism and remanded in Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.
In the charge sheet police submitted at the court, Chima was reportedly listed as being “at large”.
Click link below to read full story:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10220437533145704&id=1152672903
Head of Police Complaint Response Unit, ACP Markus Ishaku, tweeted a response to the tweet by @MistaGomez_ that investigation had commenced into the allegations.
He said the accused policemen would be arrested and interrogated.
See Ishaku’s response below:
See photos of the deceased,Chima Ikwunado, his boy and his wife.
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