The incident, which happened around 8:30 pm on Wednesday, left other customers at Suleja Mart running for safety after the area commander brought out a pistol from his car and threatened to shoot the medical doctor.
The Area Commander of Suleja Police Division in Niger State, Sani Badarawa, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, has allegedly assaulted and detained a medical doctor named Umar Nurudeen for parking his vehicle close to his own in front of a supermarket in the area.
The incident, which happened around 8:30 pm on Wednesday, left other customers at Suleja Mart running for safety after the area commander brought out a pistol from his car and threatened to shoot the medical doctor.
The police officer had accused Nurudeen of having the guts to park his “worthless” Honda Accord 2000 model vehicle beside his Mercedes Benz, which he claimed had cost him N3 million.
According to him, the medical doctor, who works at the Suleja General Hospital, insulted his personality by parking such a vehicle close to his own and making it difficult for him (Badarawa) to have easy access into his ‘expensive’ automobile.
All explanations by Nurudeen, who had visited the store to buy toys for his nieces after the close of work, that he was not obstructing the policeman’s entry into his car fell on deaf ears as the officer soon rained several punches and slaps on him.
“While still talking to him, he rushed into his car and brought out a pistol which he threatened to shoot me with.
“He was yelling on top of his voice and started punching and slapping me. He said that I was a son of nobody and that he could do whatever he wanted to me and nothing would happen to him.
“After punching and slapping me, the people around the place including security men asked me to apologise to the police officer so that he could calm down but I refused.
“This got him angrier and he continued the assault on me.
“A few minutes later, three police vans arrived at the scene of the incident and dragged me into one of the vehicles. They took me to their station.
“At the station, he assaulted me verbally and said that I must write a statement and an apology before he would release me.
“I made a few calls including to the palace of the Emir of Zazzau Suleja. His orderly and Personal Assistant arrived at the police station a few minutes later and asked me not to write any statement since I didn’t commit any offence.
“When the area commander saw the calibre of people that came, he started apologising, pleading that I should not allow the emir to hear about the matter.
“After assaulting and humiliating me for committing no offence, you are now pleading with me not to talk about it, this is indeed ridiculous.
“Nobody should be treated this way because they are ordinary Nigerians. This type of abuse of power must be checked by the police authorities to save citizens from reckless policemen.”
The Assistant Police Commissioner, who assaulted and humiliated the medical doctor, could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report.
But the state police public relations officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, told SaharaReporters that Nurudeen should take the matter up officially.
"The doctor should call us directly and table the matter officially. You can give my number to him so that he can call me to officially take up the matter," he said.