Police Brutality Unlimited!

This 23 year-old apprentice trader, Chukwuemerie Nze, recently, lost his right eye to police brutality in Enugu-Nigeria. 23 year-old Nze was subjected to merciless torture by a team of four policemen in the course of which one of the cops smashed his right eye with a long knife he wielded.

Doctors confirmed that Chukwuemerie’s right retina, pupil and eye ball were completely damaged following intense beating and smashing of his right eye by his police assailants.

The travails of young Chukwuemerie, an indigene of Umuaku-Isuochi, Abia state, began last month, July 9, at his mentor’s Timber Shed, located in the Maryland area of Enugu metropolis. While Chukwuemerie was inside the shop, a team of four police men from Uwani Police Station pulled up, and ordered him to hop into their Peugeot 505 salon car, with Registration Number DA 778 PHC.

As the unsuspecting 23 year-old timber merchant wanted to know his offence, the officers descended on him, beating him to a pulp. Amidst the collective beating and kicking, one of the officers, identified as Sergeant Philip Ezekiel, repeatedly slapped Chukwuemerie with the long knife. In addition to the knife, the policemen were reportedly armed with guns, a baton and a handcuff.

Even the intervention of one of Chukwuemerie’s neighbors did not save him from being pummeled by the police officers. Some neighbors identified Chukwuemerie as an apprentice trader, affirming that he was not a criminal, yet the officers snubbed him and continued their brutal beating of their victim.

The policemen only backed out from Chukwuemerie when blood started streaming from his right eye, soaking his dress and pouring down on the ground at the scene. Chukwuemerie who, also, sustained varying degrees of injuries on other parts of his body, including his legs, arms, back, waist and chest, during the ferocious attack, confirmed that that it was Sergeant Ezekiel that, in particular, smashed his right eye with the long knife.

Perhaps, a bit remorseful at the sight of their victim’s blood-soaked face and body, the operatives drove him to a private hospital along Agbani Road, Enugu, but the hospital’s authority, observing the degree of the injuries, advised them to take him to Parklane Specialist Hospital. Rather than head to Parklane, the cops, inexplicably, took the bleeding and half-conscious Chukwuemerie to Uwani Police Station. At the station, Inspector Francis Akuboyah, the Station’s Officer (SO) ordered them to take him to Parklane as earlier advised by the hospital.

At the hospital, the cops took Chukwuemerie to the Casualty Ward where doctors attended to his affected right eye, and stitched it. Thereafter, the officers took the ill-fated young man back to their station after buying drugs and food for him. Two of the officers, subsequently, took him home on a motorbike and gave him N500.00 to return to the hospital the following morning for continuation of his treatment.

Chukwuemerie was eventually admitted at the Parklane Specialist Hospital in the morning of July 10 where doctors confirmed complete damage of his right eye during his attack by the policemen. And the doctors, in the ensued surgery, removed the affected eye.

Chukwumerie thus joins the growing number of disabled Nigerians, having lost his right eye to a section of policemen rampaging Enugu, intimidating and extra-judicially killing indigenes and residents of the state.

The most annoying aspect of this bloody attack on Chukwuemerie was that the cops (his assailants) and, indeed, police authorities, abandoned him throughout his ten days (July 10 to 20) of admission at the hospital. Police authorities, also, refused to pick the N162, 000.00 bill given to Chukwuemerie by the hospital. John Nze, Chukwumerie’s poor father, had to run from pillar to post to foot the bill alone.

The Nze family had, on July 17, while Chukwuemerie was still in the hospital, reported the matter to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Yemi John, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), who, in turn, directed an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) at the station, Raphael A.N, to investigate the incident. Alas, one month after, ASP Raphael is yet to come up with his findings on the incident, at least, to the knowledge of the victim’s family.

Although Chukwuemerie has lost his right eye courtesy of police brutality, his family, as well as his Isuochi kinsmen, insists on justice in the matter.

To this effect, Isuochi Development Union (IDU) has called on police authorities to speedily investigate the gruesome attack on its son (Chukwuemerie), with a view to bringing his police attackers to justice. Condemning the vicious attack and subsequent abandon of Chukwuemerie at the hospital by the officers, the Enugu Branch of the union called for justice in the matter.

“We want justice in this matter. We call on police authorities to immediately launch an inquiry into this bloody attack, in order to dispense justice in this matter”, the union urged the police high command.

However, police authorities in Enugu state said it is yet to be informed of the bloody attack on the young man, but promised to find out what, actually, transpired.

KlinReports dare say that this is exactly the prayer of the victim’s family, for the earlier the bloody attack on Chukwuemerie is deciphered, sooner the rising tempers will be soothed.

It has to be noted here that the cops did not accuse Chukwuemerie of misdemeanor of any type, yet they treated him less reverently then cattle. And even if Chukwuemerie was guilty of any offence, is he not, according to the Nigerian judicial system, presumed innocent until proven guilty?

So, nothing, in the opinion of KlinReports, justifies the bestial attack on Chukwuemerie by the policemen. Nothing! The onus is, therefore, on the police authorities to quickly resolve this rape on the fundamental human rights of Citizen Chukwuemerie.