Yunusa Gabriel Enemali, the broadcast journalist/Media Special Assistant to the Ibaji Local Government Chairman in Kogi State who was battered by policemen in Lokoja last week, plans to file a lawsuit against the Nigeria Police.
Yunusa Gabriel Enemali, the broadcast journalist/Media Special Assistant to the Ibaji Local Government Chairman in Kogi State who was battered by policemen in Lokoja last week, plans to file a lawsuit against the Nigeria Police.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
As we reported on December 13, Enemali was attacked by the policemen allegedly for taking a picture of a policeman in the process of collecting a bribe. He suffered a broken nose, a fractured finger, as well as head, eye and back injuries. He is finding it difficult to walk in daylight without dark glasses.
In a statement, he said the incident took place at about 6:30p.m. as he traveled from J Z Hotel on a commercial motorbike to Treasure eatery, opposite the Specialist Hospital, the scene of the assault. At the U-turn, as a photographer, he took a panoramic shot of the environment as the motor bike waited behind a traffic warden who was standing in front of another motorbike rider.
On seeing the action the traffic warden ran towards to him and demanded to know why he had been photographed.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
Enemali said he asked the man whether he had done anything, but he did not answer, preferring to ask him three more times, “Why did you camera me?"
He said the traffic warden seized him by his trousers threatening to deal with him, while calling his colleagues.
“Just about 5 minutes later his colleagues came in a Hilux van with inscription 'B OPS KGS Command 1,' they packed, and I saw 5 policemen led by an inspector walking towards me.”
Three of the policemen, he said, were armed, and together, they dragged him down from the motorbike, took him to their van and ordered him to enter inside.
“While inside the van they [were] shouting and threatening me, ‘We will deal with you and by the time we are done with you, you will never snap a policeman again.’"
Enemali said the Inspector among them asked him for his identity and he told him he was a journalist.
They then asked him to show them the picture he had taken but immediately he did, their countenance changed.
“On seeing the picture of the policeman standing in front of the motor bike (okada) two among them spoke Hausa [saying] ‘this is not good let us turn it,’ [but] unknown to them I understand and speak Hausa very well.
He said the policemen again resumed threatening him, saying journalists were the people that were creating insecurity in the state.
Enemali said he then heard a radio conversation, with the policeman telling someone, “We have a Boko Haram suspect arrested from Anyigba, open the gate we are coming with him." Enemali hails from Anyigba Local Government Area.
Upon hearing that alarming claim, he said he jumped down from the van, but they all jumped down too and descended on him. It was at that point he started shouting for help saying he was a journalist and not a Boko Haram member, but they would not listen, as they were bent on taking him to their station.
“I delayed and dragged with them for over 40 minutes,” he said. “They used their legs with boots, sticks, hands and guns on me trying to weaken me and take me to their station.
“I refused to let go; finally the inspector used the base of his gun on my head, and one of them slapped me and blinded me, I fell to the ground with blood coming out of my nose and was so weak.”
He said it was only at that point they were able to take him to ‘A’ Division, where he regained consciousness. But the policemen who brought him disappeared, living him alone with the traffic warden. They had taken away his phone and Ipad.
Enemali said he wrote a statement under duress but it took the intervention of Hon. Mike Aruwa, a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, for him to be released.
Enemali, a married father of three boys, also lost N25, 000.00, his wrist watch, and one of his sandals. He said he plans to file charges against the police with the assistance of human right lawyers.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });