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Lawyer Raises Alarm, Accuses Police Chief Superintendent Of Threat To His Life, Family Members

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Nsirim, who narrated how the Commander of Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Aluu, Rivers State, tortured and detained him without water or food, said his offence was because he was defending the client who refused to sell land to Benson.

A Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Ozununye G. Nsirim Esq, has raised the alarm that a Chief Superintendent of Police, S.P Benson, and his men have allegedly threatened to kill him and hurt his family, if he didn't coerce a client to sell her landed property to him (Benson).

Nsirim, who narrated how the Commander of Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Aluu, Rivers State, tortured and detained him without water or food, said his offence was because he was defending the client who refused to sell land to Benson.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, he noted that his client was not disposing of her property, but Benson had been writing different petitions against him and his client to different police formations with various allegations in order to coerce her to sell the property to him.

Nsirim appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to intervene and save his life, family and that of his client.

Narrating his harrowing experience in the hands of police officers of FCID Aluu, Rivers State, Nsirim, said that even the Commander allegedly threatened to procure a Magistrate that would put him behind the bar for at least five days.

The lawyer said, “Sometime in June 2022, a client called that she was detained at the Choba Division. I got to the office of the Divisional Police Officer that night in the middle of an interview and introduced myself. The case against my client was malicious damage to the property of S. P. Benson, a police officer. It was revealed that Benson bought a property from my client's husband without her consent and went with a lorry load of police officers to take possession, thereby arresting my client who was found in her property. I suggested to Benson to ask for a refund as a husband cannot sell a property jointly owned with the wife.”

Nsirim said that the comment had since become his undoing, adding that since that day, Benson had been writing petitions to various police formations with various allegations including threats to life and malicious damages.
"Surprisingly, my client received a call on 17th of August, 2022, that there was a petition against her at FCID Aluu, for threat to life and malicious damage and that she was required to report the next day. My client called the police officer to extend the appointment to the 22nd August, 2022, as she had a pressing need to attend to. The office refused an extension, threatening to come after her."
Nsirim further explained that because his client was so agitated by the threats by the policemen, he had to visit FCID, Aluu, with a view to speak with the Commander and seek an extension of her invitation.
But on getting to FCID Aluu, he introduced himself to personnel in the office, and requested to see the Commander, but he was told by one Inspector Friday that he was named in the petition and therefore, a suspect.
"I was shown a petition written by S.P. Benson against my client, whereby one Nsirim was mentioned to have threatened his life and caused malicious damage to his property. I was told that I am now under arrest and will make a statement under caution. I was forced to write a statement,” he said.
 "I was brought before the commander after writing my statement, where I was asked to narrate briefly what I know about the petition against me. In the course of stating my side of the story, I was stopped by the commander, who accused me of talking like I was in a court. The commander asked me to leave his office and return with my client on the 22nd of August, 2022 at 2pm.
"At that point I raised my hand to draw the attention of the commander to the fact that there has not been any mention of my involvement in any act of malicious damage or threat to life.” He immediately shouted at him down and ordered that “I should be thrown in the cell for being rude to senior police officers like him and Benson.

"I was moved straight to the front of the cell and stripped down and thrown into the cell wearing only pants and a singlet. They paraded me even along the road like a criminal before my client and other persons in the station calling me names. I was paraded through the major road of Aluu almost 500 meters, stripped and bare footed from their station to where I parked my car and seized my car and everything in it.

He noted that on the following day he was taken to a magistrate’s court, Isiokpo division, where he was charged for threatening to beat up S.P. Benson in the FCID station. The court however granted him bail on self-recognition and directed police to release all his items confiscated, including his vehicle. And the court adjourned to September 14, 2022.
Nsirim, however, noted that the commander, when he returned to pick his belongings, insisted that he (Nsirim) must make the statement or he would be re-arraigned in court.
He added that it took the intervention of other colleague lawyers before he was let go to return on September 5.

Topics
Police Scandal