From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
A house wife based in Sapele, Delta State, Rose Okoro has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation, (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman over alleged unlawful detention of her husband, Mr. Sunday since September, 2020.
Mrs. Okoro said her husband was arrested in Sapele on September 9, 2020 by plain clothe policeman following complaints of threats to life made by one Nwankego.
She alleged that her 14 years old son was also arrested, handcuffed with the father and paraded while their phones tconfiscated.
The housewife alleged that her son was detained for over three weeks before he was released, adding however that her husband was denied bail on three attempts on alleged instructions of the then team leader, Abba Kyari.
Narrating her story, Mrs Okoro said: “on Wednesday September 9, 2020, at about 6:30am, my husband, Sunday Okoro was unlawfully arrested in our home with our 14 years old son, our gateman, the DJ working in our hotel, my husband sister’s son, Precious, and his cousin by some men on musfti who ransacked their private home and hotel without finding any incriminating thing.
“They were all taken to Benin and when l inquired, l was told that the policemen were not from Benin but a team led by Abba Kyari before they were transferred to Abuja and they were denied bail for two weeks until we had a human right activist who came to our rescue but before then the complainant, Nwankego was the one dragging my husband to a school in Benin in company of the police officers for torture every morning.
“He was able to secure the release of our son, the gateman but the DJ was not allowed to go until we paid the sum of N600,000 while my husband was still held, maltreated and kept in an abbatior from September 9 to October 27, 2020 before taken to an area court in Mpape that has no jurisdiction to entertain an alleged case of threat to life.
“The area court in Mpape declined jurisdiction and my husband was remanded in Suleja Correctional center with no concrete evidence of the offence till May 19, 2021, when he was arraigned for a case of threat to life and act of terrorism at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The judge granted him bail on health grounds over the unlawful torture he went through in the hands of the police for urgent medical attention before he goes blind but was refused bail before the complainant filed another fresh charge in another Federal High Court on threat to life and act of terrorism.
“The complainant and DSP Fasasi Abiodun asked the IRT prosecutor to file a murder charge against my husband, but the prosecutor refused. Upon his refusal, DSP Abiodun and Abba Kyari took another prosecutor at the FCT who agreed and accused my husband of illegal possession of arms, robbery, threat to life, act of terrorism but still without evidence.
“Luckily bail was granted again but DSP Abiodun who led the team of policemen, intercepted the prison vehicle at the court gate and hijacked my husband to an unknown destination.
“Meanwhile the FCT prosecutor has filed another case of murdere again in another court and the hearing was for July 21, 2021(Sallah day), but same DSP Abiodun and the FCT prosecutor took my husband to Mpepe Prison, Nasarawa after keeping him for days, brought him to a Magistrate Court on same issue that is before Federal High Court.
“We believe they have been paid heavily to monitor and rearrest him as soon as he is bailed, hence we are seeking all round justice for my husband, Sunday Okoro as this is totally unlawful and all those involved should face the wrath of the law.”