78 Years Old Mother Of Journalist With Thisday Assaulted By Policemen At Abagana , Attempts To Strangulate Man Who Comes For Her Bail

              

odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that a top journalist with Thisday Newspaper Kasie Abone (Mrs) HAS WRITTEN Inspector General of Police over the illegal arrest, assault, intimidation, false accusation, unlawful detention of her mother, Mrs. Comfort Ifeyinwa Okonkwo, a 78 year old Senior Community Health Extension Worker by one Inspector Jonathan and one Uche , officers attached to FCIB Abagana.

    

Thisday Newspapers

35 Creek Road,

Apapa,

Lagos.

July 18, 2014

The Police Commissioner,

Anambra State Command,

Awka.

PETITION OF ILLEGAL ARREST, ASSAULT, INTIMIDATION, FALSE

ACCUSATION, UNLAWFUL DETENTION AND GROSS ACT OF PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT BY ONE INSPECTOR JONATHAN AND ONE UCHE, OFFICERS ATTACHED TO FCIB, ABAGANA AND THEIR COLLABORATORS, MR AND MRS BASIL OKOYE AGAINST 78 YEARS OLD MRS. COMFORT I. OKONKWO

I write to petition your office on the illegal arrest, assault, intimidation, false accusation, unlawful detention of my mother, Mrs. Comfort Ifeyinwa Okonkwo, a 78 year old Senior Community Health Extension Worker by the above named police officers with their collaborators.

On Tuesday, July 8 2014, one Uche, without knocking, sneaked into the house of our house at Amaenye Village, Abagana. Thinking that he was just a visitor as he was not in uniform, Mrs. Okonkwo greeted him, and offered him a seat. By his countenance, it was obvious he was surprised to meet her with some people. At the time, her sister in-law, Mrs. Nwakaego Okonkwo and two granddaughters were visiting.

Without any introduction or identification, he started snapping everything in her house. It became obvious his visit was not friendly. At that point my mother stood up and said "I don't think I know you? He pushed her down on a seat and said "You don't have to know me. I am a police man." My mothers protested his assault and told him that she is a 78 year old woman. The officer said "If you die no problem." Her questioning his mission, identity and warrant met with further insult and abuse. He called her a shameless old woman who was running an illegal drug business, My mother attempt to explain met deaf ears. He didn't also want to see her Standing Order, a Federal Ministry of Health legal document that empowered her operation, her identification and Certifications. Without bothering to know who they were he accused my two cousins of coming to procure illegal abortion and threatened them to leave immediately with their grandmother otherwise they will be in trouble. He also verbally abused them and their mother. He then upturned my mothers table where her medications were and mixed them up with disused items in the wastebasket and packed everything and arrested my mother.

When one of my cousins called me in Lagos, I asked him to introduce himself; he simply said he was a police officer. I told him to give me his phone number so that I can call him directly, he also refused. I tried to explain to him that my mother was operating under the ambit of the law, but he won't listen. I pleaded that he left my mother so that I would return the next day Wednesday and bring her to the station personally as my mother is old, a plea he also refused.

More suspicious the taxi that brought him parked at Oye-Agu, about 500 metres away from our compound where he arrested her.

As my mother followed him slowly due to age and trauma he put her, Uche was still verbally attacking and abusing her, calling her names. She tried to chase my aunt and her grandchildren who followed them back but suspecting his ungodly mission, they continued to follow. At the police station Inspector Jonathan joined Uche to rebuke and accuse her of running an illegal health clinic and offered to take her statement. My requested to make her statement her self but the officer refused and wrote the statement by himself after which he read to her and forced her to sign. My refused to sign insisting that the statement did not represent any truth but a well orchestrated falsehood but the officers forced her to sign. Having refused my aunt taking her on bail insisting that a man must bail her but on sighting the young man who came to bail her Inspector Jonathan pounced on him and beat him mercilessly, grabbed him on the neck and attempted to strangulate him to the chagrin of onlookers.

It is pertinent to mention that this unprofessional conduct was coming on the heels of my mother's report of threat to life at Abagana Divisional Police Station against her tenants, Mr. and Mrs. Okoye, who has been at loggerheads with her over rent. It will also interest you to know that Uche confessed that those who hired him to perform such dirty job were "The same people whom she reported that were threatening her life."

It is with utmost concern and utmost shock to know that some police officers trained to protect lives and properties should be hired to carry out such very dirty, unimaginable, bizarre and morally reprehensible criminal and unprofessional acts by harassing, intimidating and falsely accusing innocent citizens just someone will achieve wicked and evil intensions. This is more disturbing now they have shown utter disrespect to age and disrespect to the rule of law which they are trained to protect.

I am mindful of the efforts of the senior police hierarchy to weed out the bad eggs in the police force. I therefore pray that you use your good office to bring these police officers and then-collaborators to book.

I write this petition my mother is undergoing serious traumatic experiences that have affected her health adversely leading to comprehensive medical attention, The boy who was beaten up has since been receiving medical attention too. Respectfully, 1 demand that these police officers and their collaborators be arrested with immediate effect and thorough investigation conducted to the real motive behind their actions and all those found to be involved in this despicable act punished.

I sincerely hope that justice will not only be served but seemed to be served. Thanking you fro your kind cooperation.

Yours Sincerely

KASIE ABONE (Mrs.)

CC: The Media, Director, SSS, O/C FCFB.