A policeman identified as Supol Olu has allegedly beat up and battered Abasianyanga Polycarp Emmanuel and her mother Mrs Glory Umoh who went to see her brother detained at ‘A’ Division of Nigeria police force along Barracks Road, Uyo.
Our Correspondent gathered that trouble started on Thursday evening at Ibom Plaza when the brother of Mrs Glory Umoh known as Kufre Umoh who trades in shoes around Ibom Plaza closed for the day and packed his wares for safekeeping in readiness for the next day market.
An eyewitness Idorenyin Etuk who deals in clothes around the plaza said a patrol team from ‘A’ Division in Uyo raided the plaza to arrest criminals but stumbled on the suspect Kufre Umoh who went inside the plaza to keep his goods.
Etuk said Kufre’s wife was waiting for her husband unknown to her that the husband was apprehended by the police while went to keep his goods in one of the stores in the plaza.
” As the wife we were about to close for the day, Kufre was busy carrying his shoes to keep for the next day when police from ‘A’ Division raided the plaza looking for all manners of criminals here.
” Suddenly we started sneezing as police through tear gas. Everybody ran away but Kufre did not run because he is not a criminal. He sells shoes by the roadside in the plaza near the footbridge leading to Oron road. Everybody knows him here.
” Those who know him ran to the wife informing her that the husband was tortured and forced to enter the police van which he resisted.
” It was the wife who called Kufre’s sister Glory Umoh to join her to ‘A’ Division police station where the husband was dragged and drained”.
Speaking with our reporter, Glory Umo said she went to the station with her 9-year-old daughter Abasianyanga but the police didn’t allow her to see the brother not knowing that they were busy beating up the suspect in their interrogation room
She said the daughter who peeped inside sighted her uncle beaten black blue and she shouted ‘Don’t beat my uncle! Do you want to kill him?
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Narrating the incident, Umoh said the ‘Supol Olu’ was angry and came outside with other policemen beating the daughter.
” I was forced to react and shouted for the four policemen to leave my daughter alone. They combined and beat me up, rendering me naked. Now there are pains and bruises all over my body. See the wounds on my legs and back.
” I cried when I saw my daughter beaten up mercilessly by armed policemen and even myself being manhandled.
” Right now my innocent brother has been labelled as an Indian hemp seller. He is still in police custody. They said we should come and pay N100,000 before he is granted bail. Nigeria is finished!” she said.
Reacting to the incident Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer Odiko Mcdon said the incident has not been reported to the state command.
” As I speak, we don’t have such a report, we would act accordingly. I would find out from the DPO of ” A” Division immediately” he said.
