Journalist beaten, deatined In Onitsha by DPO Cosmas Eze, Shuns Order To Release Him from CP Karma

www.odogwublog.com reports that the Onitsha Inland Town Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Cosmas Eze, yesterday detained the Onitsha correspondent of Newswatch Times Newspaper, Cyprian Ebele over alleged traffic offence.
Trouble reportedly started for the correspondent who was taking a sick woman to the General Hospital Onitsha when he approached the Awka/Ado Girls Secondary School junction and stopped for a sienna bus that was negotiating towards Awka road from the Ado Girls Secondary School to conclude.
On the process, a traffic warden, Mr. Obasi Ifeanyi approached him saying that he was telling him to stop and he refused and demanded that one of the two daughters of the sick woman that was sitting in the front seat of the Mercedes Benz car the correspondent was driving should alight from the car for him to sit down before the car would be driven to the station.
The daughter refused and rather shifted for him to sit but he insisted that she must alight from the car.
As heated argument ensued between the duo, a woman Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Mrs. Victoria H. Dubuzo who said she is the head of traffic in the Police Division reportedly rushed in and slapped the daughter of the woman, split saliva on her face and said, “by the time I finish with you, you will know how powerful I am”, and took the occupants of the car to the station.
On getting to the station, the DPO, Mr. Cosmas Eze, after hearing from the traffic warden, Mr. Ifeanyi, ordered the ASP in charge of traffic to detain the correspondent and one of the daughters without hearing his own side of the story.
It was gathered that instructions from the Onitsha Police Area Commander, Mr. Philip Ezekiel, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ali Okechukwu and other Senior Police Officers including various media correspondents to the DPO to release the journalist proved abortive as he insisted that he would only be released after making statement.
The DPO was quoted as saying, “I am not releasing him, he will be detained professionally and released conditionally after making statement”.
The woman ASP had earlier vowed that she would deal with the correspondent adding, “you are a journalist, but I know people more than you and will today put you in cell”.

Photo of Obi of Onitsha