Police in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has virtually turned its back on citizen Ugochukwu Igwe who was detained and brutalized by a fellow Igbo man, Jonathan Omeruara in Chibiri, the suburb of Kuje.
Jonathan, a poultry farmer, was said to have detained Ugochukwu Igwe, a self-employed plumber, in his farm house in Chibiri village, along Kuje-Gwagwalada road for more than four hours during which time he also ordered his private security man to machete him (Ugochukwu), with sharp cutlass.
It was gathered that the police first arrested Jonathan and his security man, took Uhochukwu to Kuje General Hospital for treatment and made move to charge the suspects to court for illegal detention or kidnap and attempted murder.
Information reaching us said that the police handling the case, Inspector Bali suddenly abandoned the case without any explanation, even as he barked at the victim: “is it goat you want me to charge to court?”
It was learnt that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) had, on three different occasions, rebuffed attempts made by the lawyer of the victim to see him, leaving the victim to reel in pains for more than three weeks.
Narrating the incidence to our reporter, Ugochukwu said that it all started when Jonathan asked him to recommend a good carpenter to carry out some works on his poultry farm.
He said that Jonathan negotiated the cost of doing the job with the carpenter he eventually recommended for him, but that when Jonathan could not provide essential working materials to continue with the work, the carpenter left it for another one in Garki.
Ugochukwu said that eventhough he was not part of the negotiations for the cost of doing the job and did not get a kobo from any of the two parties, Jonathan later turned on him.
“Jonathan first threatened to use soldier to deal with me which he actually carried out, as a soldier invited me to Pasali village in Kuje, where he threatened to deal with me if I did not produce the carpenter for Jonathan. The soldier even accompanied me to my house where he harassed my wife and children.”
Ugochukwu said that he convinced the carpenter to accompany him to Jonathan’s poultry farm to explain to him why he (the carpenter) could not continue with the job.
“It was when we got to the farm that Jonathan asked his security man to lock the gate, began to curse me in particular and when I told him that I did not steal his money or was not part of his transactions with the carpenter, he ordered the security man to deal with me.
“The security man then brought out a sharp cutlass, brutally cut me on my left knee, my wrist and three other places. Some plumbers who were working for Jonathan inside the farm house rushed to take the cutlass from the security man, but he (the security man) went for another long knife aiming to continue to cut me. The same plumbers struggled, took the weapon from him, pushed him into a batcher where he sleeps and locked him in.
“In the melee and, drenched in my own blood which oozed out from the cuts, I managed to get a police officer on my mobile phone. The officer mobilised Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), rushed to the place, forced the gate open and took me to the hospital as they detained Jonathan and his security man.”
Ugochukwu said that he and his lawyer were utterly surprised when attempts they made to see the DPO were turned down by the DPO even as the entire Kuje police pretended as if nothing happened.
Ugochukwu said that Jonathan had earlier used a soldier by name, Nnamdi to deal with him, adding: “the soldier invited me and asked me to refund the money Jonathan paid to the carpenter for the job. I told him that I did not know anything about the money, but he would not listen and instead, ordered me to sit on bare ground, inside scotching sun for a long time after which he led me to my house where he embarrassed me in front of my wife and children.”
Attempts by our reporter to get the version of Kuje police was rebuffed by both the DPO and his officers, saying: “you can go and write anything you like. Nothing will happen.”
Also attempts to see Jonathan, the poultry farmer did not succeed as he was said to have travelled out of Abuja.
