RINGOCS, in a release issued on Monday, signed by its chairman, Tombari Dumka-Kote, stated that the torture and incarceration of Bassey without trial for 14 days was in total breach of his fundamental human rights to fair hearing and was unacceptable.
The Rivers State Indigenous NGOs and Civil Society Network (RINGOCS), has decried the alleged brutality, incarceration and torture of one Mr Success Bassey by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force, Mini-Okoro Division, Port-Harcourt over allegations still unclear and under investigation.
RINGOCS, in a release issued on Monday, signed by its chairman, Tombari Dumka-Kote, stated that the torture and incarceration of Bassey without trial for 14 days was in total breach of his fundamental human rights to fair hearing and was unacceptable.
Dumka-Kote, who is also the Founder, Centre for Justice, Empowerment & Development (C4J), said that RINGOCS frowned at the conspiracy, and sponsor of extra-judicial torture of Mr. Success Bassey, by a supposed clergy man and a Judicial Officer of high esteem, Justice Bright Deemua.
He said that after meeting with the wife and family members of detained Bassey in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, RINGOCS decided to officially call on the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Effiong Okon, to order the immediate and unconditional release of the detained man to his family.
Titled: "police brutality, torture of mr. Success Bassey at Mini-okoro Police Division," the rights group said "Our demand is premised upon the fact that torture of suspects and unlawful incarceration is against the rules of modern policing, as it violates not only the fundamental rights of the suspect to fair hearing, but is obnoxious and contrary to Section 37(1)(a and b) of the Nigeria Police Act 2020. We have also written to the Commissioner of Police in this regard.”
"It is even unlawful for a judicial officer of the rank of Justice Deemua, to descend so low to the extent of being known to have been involved in a process that contravenes the law as in this instance," the statement reads, adding "every Nigerian have a constitutional right to fair hearing, and should not be denied that right by anyone; not even a judicial or law enforcement officer.”
RINGOCS further stated that Bassey's wife Aniefon, narrated that how her husband left home for his daily menial job on the 5th of December 2022 but never returned home, until she got a call from his co-workers two days later after much search that her husband was arrested and was been detained at the Mini-Okoro Police Division.
"Mrs. Bassey said she visited the station and saw her husband looking differently from whom she used to know as a result of the endless torture and hanging him upside down to make him confess to committing the alleged crime he told her the husband of his former employer, Justice Bright Deemua, a Pastor with the Deeper Life Bible Church, Rumuokalagbor claimed he had committed.
"She called on well-meaning Nigerians, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, and the Rivers State Government to come to the rescue of her husband who is now seriously ill in detention without trial for 14 days now.
"Wife of the detained man, who had her 17 months old child in hand, said the daily torture and continued detention of her husband, MR. Success Bassey by the Police for two weeks now at the instance of Justice Bright Deemua of the Deeper Life Bible Church, has caused her and her child untold hardship as they now beg to feed.”
"Also speaking, brother to the detained man, Emaeyak Bassey, told reporters how they first had fears of their brother being missing, before the family was contacted that the young man was in a police cell at Mini-Okoro.
"Emaeyak said they attend same church with the complainant, but all attempts to reach out to the church leadership in the state to intervene and reach out to Justice Deemua have remained an effort in futility," the statement noted.