Juliana Francis
Mr Samuel Igwe, whose wife, Chinwe was kicked in the stomach by a policeman in the Pako area of Lagos State, has again cried out, alleging that policemen at Idimu Police Station had not only refused to grant his wife bail but were torturing her.
According to Samuel, his wife had been slapped and kicked repeatedly by the police personnel at Idimu Police Station over an accusation of providing beer bottles to cyclists to attack the police.
This is despite Chinwe telling them that she only sells food and water, stressing that it was the next shop that sells beer.
How these policemen came to be at Pako axis, outside their jurisdiction is yet unknown.
It will be recalled that a policeman on Wednesday 13th of February 2024, used his booted leg to kick Chinwe in the stomach plunging the woman, who was suffering from a stomach ulcer into pain.
The kicking incident occurred when Chinwe tried to rescue her sister, Favour from a policeman who pointed a gun at her.
Trouble for Chinwe and Favour began after policemen, cyclists and street urchins engaged in a free-for-all fight, with broken bottles being hurled.
One of the cyclists was chased into Chinwe’s shop at Pako by two policemen. One of the policemen pointed a gun at Favour causing her to scream.
When Chinwe heard her sister’s screaming, she rushed into the shop from where she was and beheld the policeman pointing a gun at her sister.
It was when she asked the policeman if he wanted to kill her sister, that he allegedly kicked her in the stomach.
The police would later arrest and move Chinwe to Idimu Police Station. The husband said that she had been refused bail, refused to be allowed to be given drugs, and refused to be allowed to go to the hospital.
Samuel who said that he went to the station that same Wednesday with a lawyer, alleged that he was chased out, with the police insisting that the lawyer should come to the station with Chinwe’s real husband.
They refused to believe that Samuel was the husband of the detainee. The police said that the real husband on the fateful of the fracas, fought the police and kept shouting that the police wanted to kill his wife.
Samuel said: “When I wanted to talk, the policeman there said that if I opened my mouth, he would slap me, and I would never hear again for the rest of my life. I shut up.
“My wife complained to me that they repeatedly beat and kicked her, and others punched her. She said that four policewomen there surrounded and brutalised her.
“But she still kept telling them that she was not the one selling beer and did not give cyclists beer bottles to attack them.
“The police chased me outside, while my lawyer said he was going to beg them to stop beating my wife. I brought her drugs, but they didn’t allow me to take the medicine.”
Today 14th Thursday 2024, Samuel returned to the station and was again chased away.
His words: “I went there again, but the police at the counter chased me away. I went with food and water for my wife, but the policewoman there called my wife foolish, wicked, devil, among so many other horrible names.
“She said that my wife did not deserve to be granted bail and then yelled at me to get out of the station. Other police personnel joined in shouting at me to leave the station.”
The Executive Director of Esther Child Rights Foundation, Ms. Esther Ekwem, who is fighting for justice for Chinwe said: “The police are holding her because they claimed she was the person that provided beer bottles for the cyclists to attack them. But this woman in question does not sell beer, only food and water.
“Where’s the Police investigation? Have the police bothered to investigate the matter? They have done nothing! They are just holding the woman, beating and traumatising her. Our police personnel have a long way to go!”
