‘I was detained for six days’… Lawyer accuses police of circumventing justice

As the call for the abolition of Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) heightens, a lawyer, Fredrick Egbe of Asifo Egbe, Egbe & Co, and his mother, Alero Rita, have accused some police officers and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) attached to the ‘A’ Division, Warri, Delta State Police Command of circumventing justice in a case of alleged assassination, arson and substance abuse.

Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the policemen in Warri to the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, the legal counsel to the petitioners, Victor Egere, accused the police of attempting to meddle with their case.

In the petition, the legal counsel alleged that the trio: Armstrong Yomere, Toju Ogbeni and Chinwe Ighagbon, attempted to burn down his client’s apartment after which they tried to assassinate him.

Calling on the IG to take over the case and assign it to a crack legal team for proper evaluation, Egere alleged that upon the arrests of the three by the A Division, hard drugs were found in their possession.

He also alleged that after the arrests, the trio alongside Temisaren Uduaghan and Dafe Ighagbon, continued to take the hard drugs, and also carried out cult-related activities in Warri.

He said their actions necessitated his clients to write another petition to the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to inform them about the several banned substances used in the premises at No. 3 Efbe Crescent, Ugbuwangue Town.

According to him, after the suspects were arrested and statements taken, they were granted bail and the DCO told all parties to come for an interview in a date given.

“Before the date, one Isaac Botosan came to the police station to allege that the property our client resided was his property.

“It was in this vein that our client informed the DPO that the issue of ownership was not the matter reported to the police but threat and assault against him as well as attempted arson. It was on this ground the DPO, Kelvin Zuokumo, reluctantly stated that the matter reported was criminal in nature.

“It is pertinent that the action of the DPO leaves much to be desired as he is circumventing justice and trying to use anything possible to indict our client.

“We must state in clear terms that our client’s life is in danger. We have implicit confidence in your office as we have lost hope in that of the DPO.”

The law firm also alleged that the accused person cooked up additional falsehood that led to the arrest of their client and his mother by the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU) in Abuja.

According to the victim, Egbe: “I was detained in Abuja for six days for a crime I did not commit. I am urging President Buhari and the National Assembly to intervene on this matter to ensure that justice is served against the IG and his men.”

They further craved the indulgence of the IGP to dispatch a team of legal investigators to take over the case for a proper and unbiased evaluation.