It is another case of police brutality against innocent citizens without proper investigation. ESSEH IKORA writes on the plight of a sexually-molested divorcee in the hands of IGP intelligence squad in Uyo.
Mrs Margaret Etim Udoh is a divorcee who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by armed police men suspected to be members of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital. She is therefore requesting for justice while also appealing to the police authorities to help by saving her from further humiliation and intimidation.
Udoh, a senior nursing officer at Nung Udoe Health Centre, alleged that men of the IGP team invaded her residence along Saint Christopher Avenue, Nung Oku, Ibesikpo Asutan local government area of the state at about 1 am on the night of April 13 and sexually assaulted her before whisking her away.
In her petition to the acting Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, Udoh stated that she was sexually assault and abused by men of the IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT) who broke into her residence in the midnight of the said date.
She is also calling on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and other civil rights movements to come to her aid and redeem her dignity as a woman saying, “My dignity as a woman has been violated by the supposed law enforcement agents that should protect me. I am seeking for justice over this abuse.”
How it all happened
Narrating her experiences and how it happened to Blueprint, Udoh said, “I am a divorcee. I live alone in my compound. Unfortunately for me, I do not have any surviving child and this has caused me my marriage of 18 years. I spend most of my time in the church and my station at Nung Oku Health Centre. I was terrified and awoken by heavy bangs on my gate at about 1:00 am on Saturday night April 13 and before I could gather myself to peep through the window to know who was behind the bang, I saw men jumping through the fence into my compound. They headed to the front and back doors, simultaneously and immediately started banging the doors. It was at this point that I summoned the courage and started making calls to my relations and neighbours for help.”
Continuing further she said, “When the intruders heard that I was making calls, they shouted at me to put off my phone and told me that they were policemen. They asked me to open the door to which I refused initially. My refusal was based on the fact that there have been incessant cases of armed robbery in the area for some time,” she said.
“They eventually broke into my house by using axes, hammers and broken blocks. They met me inside the toilet where I ran into, dragged me out and stripped me naked. One of them used his hand to abuse my private part and breasts. He even called me a witch with unattractive private part. I was seriously manhandled. My doors, ceilings and windows were completely shattered,” she lamented.
“Eventually, they asked me to produce my husband and I told them that I am a minister with the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry and that my husband divorced me 18 years before then. At that point, they allowed me to dress up and later took me outside where two Hilux vans were waiting with over 20 policemen inside. From there, I was taken to Nsit Ibom local government area that night. One of them said they should kill me and throw me away that I am a witch but another one said it was not yet time.
“Amidst the argument, I was taken to the ‘B’ Division in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo. I was still not told about my offense or crime but was simply thrown into the cell. In that cell I was for the first time in my life. There, I was denied access to phone and stayed there till about 3pm. I later got to know my alleged offences as written on the entry board at the station when I was later released.
“I discovered that robbery and kidnapping was written against my name. I was asked to put down my statement with an instruction that I should include in the statement that I obstructed the police from entering my house and that I allowed a suspect to escape arrest. They asked me to go and report back the next Friday. Before I left the station, I however, overheard one of them saying it was a case of mistaken identity,” she explained.
DPO feigned ignorance
When contacted for confirmation about the incident, the DPO in-charge of ‘B’ Division denied having any record of the suspect in the station’s registers.
Although he confirmed that the IGP-IRT were in the state for various operations, he refused to speak further on the matter with a promise that he will do a thorough check and report back which he never did.
However, a female police officer at the entrance, who did not want her name mentioned for obvious reasons, confirmed that the suspect was brought to the station by the IGP’s team but refused to speak further, adding “Bro, that woman matter, hmmm, na Abuja matter oh. Our own na sidon look.”
Family member reacts
Reacting to the incident, a member of the family also a retired Superintendent of Police, (SP) Antia Umoren, who signed the bail bond said, “The DPO cannot say there was no such case. His deputy, who held brief for him, aided me on how to track the IGP-IRT. There were other suspects brought in by the team from other locations including a man, his wife and their seven-year old son. The man was seriously tortured. As a retired policeman, it was easy for me to trace my sister in-law to ‘B’ Division. In fact, I went to Control Room and narrated my situation to the officers on duty and they assisted me to radio all the Police Divisions in Akwa Ibom. After a while, Ewet Housing Estate Division (‘B’ Division) came on air and confirmed that my sister in-law was at the Division.”
SP Umoren said Mrs Udoh was seriously manhandled and falsely charged for robbery and kidnapping. According to him, “When I asked to know what she was being charged for, I was told she was charged for kidnapping and robbery. When I got to the station, I saw her name boldly written on the suspect board. When she was eventually brought, tears ran though my eyes because she was seriously manhandled.
“I later met with the said IGP-IRT led by one Akan Joseph. So, ‘B’ Division cannot say they are not aware of what happened. The station was on air and responded to the radio message sent out by the Control Room. The records and date are there. Her name was registered on the Prisoner Lockup Register and all the items collected from her including the sum of N137,000 was entered into that register. I was kept at that station till about 4pm. I am talking to you as her surety. I signed the bail bond. I have been a police officer and till my retirement, police have never been assigned to carry axe, sledge hammer and other tools,” SP Umoren explained.
