Man loses teeth to Police brutality, demands justice

From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

Derek, who is recuperating from the injuries he sustained in the attack, said he lost two of his teeth, which led him to coma.

The victim, a  resident of  Road 5, Agip Estate, Mile 4, Port Harcourt, claimed that he and other residents merely demanded that the Road 5 gate in Agip Estate which is an access  road to residents of the area, should be opened and not be locked permanently.

Derek, who spoke  on his hospital bed, said on Tuesday, at about 3:50pm, he and some residents went to the access  gate of Road 5 and demanded that the gate should be opened.

He said they were tired of taking alternative routes instead of the access gate  which was  approved by the Rivers State Government.

The victim disclosed that the moment they got to the gate, the Police officers attached to the owner of the club allegedly started shooting  in the air, as they scampered for safety, but he was unlucky and arrested

Derek alleged that the armed policemen bounced on him and used the butt of their guns to hit him on some parts of his body before  taking  him to the Police Station along Agip Road,  where one of the officers again,  hit him with the butt of his gun.

He further explained that he lost consciousness and later found himself in the hospital where he is gradually regaining  consciousness.

According to him, the owner of  the Club House who supervised the assault by police officers attached to him,  boasted that no authority could order him to open the access gate for residents.

He called on the Rivers State Government and human rights community to come to his aid.

In the meantime, a human rights advocacy group, Centre for Basic Rights and Accountability Campaign has called for unbiased and thorough investigation into incident.

National Coordinator of the group, Prince Wiro, while reacting to the incident, said the incident should be deligently investigated and anybody found culpable should be brought to book  for justice