A mother has cried out for justice over violation of her fundamental rights and that of her family by the officers of the Nigeria police in Sapele, Delta State.
The woman, Martha Yaye Onokpasa, lamented the assault by the policemen who came for arrest and broke her back door, assaulted her children and younger brother and allegedly collected N260,000 from them.
“Only for the Sapele Area Command to invade our family house and most brutally and unprofessionally take us into custody without warrant. We were only released that day after coughing out N260,000.
“I am not a criminal and neither myself nor my family broke any law. We have been most heinously harassed by the police that is supposed to be our friend. I demand justice,” she insisted.
Narrating her ordeal, she said that early in the morning on the 22nd day of July, they were still on bed when they heard loud noise of people forcefully breaking their doors to get into the house.
She said some were at the frontage while others were at the backyard threatening, telling them to open the door, which they successfully broke the back door and gained entrance.
“We were so afraid thinking they were armed robbers or kidnappers. We saw that they were hefty police men armed with guns and sticks from the Sapele Area Command of the Nigeria Police. They claimed they are police from area command, that there is a petition written against one Kingsley and his gang.
“While I was being interrogated by one, my children and my younger brother were being molested and beaten with sticks. They assaulted my daughter and tore her clothes and my 12-year-old son was beaten with a stick. They were all frightened with the state of terror unleashed on them.
“While l told the police that it would have been better that they introduced themselves as the police instead of spoiling our properties, breaking our doors and molesting my family, mostly my young children, I pleaded with them to allow me dress properly because I was still on my nightwear and I followed them.
“As I came out after dressing up properly, my brothers were handcuff and being beaten with heavy sticks. They put us inside the car and drove us to Area Command in Sapele. On getting there, they said one Mrs Marian Eke Shaibu wrote petition against one Kingsley and his gang that they broke her building blocks,” she said.
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