An alleged victim of Police brutality has called on the Acting Inspector General of Police to bring to book officers of the Nigerian Police, Warri Area Command who assaulted him in the early hours of Saturday in Warri, Delta State.
The victim, Mr Christopher Diwerenenagha, who is presently undergoing treatment for injuries sustained from the assault also appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to bring the issue before the new Commissioner of Police in Delta State for thorough investigation.
Mr Diwerenenagha said he was left to die in the hospital following the heavy bleeding from the stab wound he sustained at the hands of the policemen.
Friday, July 7, 2023, is not a day that Mr Diwerenenagha would forget in a hurry.
It took the finger of God to have kept him alive to narrate his side of what transpired between him and the Police in Area Command Office, Warri in the early hours of Saturday.
Struggling with the pains of more than four hours of operation to remove clot blood and close up his wound as well as gratefulness to providence for intervening for him, he alleged that, he and two friends were returning from a party on Friday night when they were accosted by Policemen believed to be from A Division, Warri.
He said initially they did not know that the men dressed in mufti were policemen.
According to him, the policemen searched them, found nothing incriminating and proceeded to accuse of him of being an internet fraudster popularly known as ‘Yahoo boys’.
Based on this, he alleged the policemen demanded money from him.
Mr Diwerenenagha said he clearly told them that he was not into fraudulent activities and has no money to give to them.
Upon this, he alleged the Policemen pounced on him and gave him a thorough beating.
According to him, not satisfied with the beating the Policemen dragged him to the ‘A’ Division Police station Warri, where another round of beating started and in the scuffle one of the policemen stabbed him in the stomach.
He added that, when the Policemen observed that life was slowly leaving him due to the bleeding from the stab wound they bundled him to Central Hospital, Warri, where he was apparently left to die.
Some friends of the victim who witnessed the entire incident, Mr Joseph Kumo and Mr Frank Amgbaduba corroborated the Mr Christopher Diwerenenagha’s story.
They said the policemen during the scuffle dispossessed the victim of some of his valuables, including a gold necklace and phones which they later returned when they got wind that the victim survived the ordeal.
Amgbaduba and Kumo said they had to rush the victim to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and safety.
Investigations however, showed that the Police have a slightly different story concerning what transpired that Saturday morning.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe, said information reaching him revealed that Christopher Diwerenenagha during the initial scuffle with the policemen inflicted injury on one of them with his car key.
NewsNet Nigeria was able to obtain a video of the affected officer dripping with blood.
It was also gathered that the officers who first accosted the Christopher Diwerenenagha were not only on mufti but also off duty as at the time of the incident.
As nature helps him to heal from the stab wound, the question to resolve now is that: Did the Policeman that stabbed him use excessive force against the civilian or did he react in anger because one of his colleagues sustained injury at the hands of the victim?
What may need to be addressed also is whether the off duty policemen acted within their powers at the time in question.
Also, is it right to label people dressed in a particular fashion as internet fraudsters? And, is this the solution to this demand for money from those alleged to be in the business?
Many questions indeed to resolve as police, public interactions becomes increasingly in danger.
Friends of Christopher Diwerenenagha have called on human rights organizations to come to their aid to ensure justice.
No one, they said knows who might be the next victim and whether that victim may not be as lucky as their friend.
