The acts of terrorism in the north eastern part of Nigeria seemingly has gone beyond the military might of the Nigeria armed forces and other means have been pouring in to check the menace. However, it is certain that the lives and properties lost can never be recovered.
However, it is pertinent to note that terrorism isn’t just perpetrated in the north eastern part of Nigeria alone nay by the members of the evil Boko Haram sect alone.
Recently in Lagos, a photojournalist, Moses Edem working with Glinstone Magazine was accosted by men of the Nigeria police from Pedro Police station in a patrol van around Ladi-lak bus stop Bariga Lagos around 12.00noon. The journalist who was walking towards his destination was asked to show them the content of his back bag. Obediently, he did and in it, they found his laptop and his camera.
He was asked about how he got it and he displayed his press ID card and informed the men of the police force that he was on official duties. According to Moses, the men in black were seemingly not cut out for any story; be it true or otherwise. They summarily bundled him into their van and took him to a spot behind the police station where he was told that he was suspected to have stolen the items in his bag. He refuted their claims telling them that he had his receipt at home and would gladly go home, get it for sighting.
The men refused and instead resorted to threatening him to pay the sum of N30,000 or risk being locked up. He told them that he had only his transport and feeding allowance of N700 naira with him. He asked to be allowed to go and bring the receipt from home and option which they reluctantly gave him. As a good citizen whose trust for the police remained good, Moses got to his home and got the receipt and rushed back to the station to present to the police who without much ado told him that the receipt was a fake and that must have infuriated the men in black that they decided to ‘teach him a lesson’. His hands and legs were chained with handcuffs and he was ‘hanged’ and his knuckles were hit with a bar to extract ‘confessions’ from him. He was told that he was a robber and that he must have stolen the items. He was told to confess or risk being killed with nothing happening to them that will kill him. One of his assailant threatened to burnt his head if he refused to confess he was a robber or go and get them N30,000.
When they couldn’t get any confession from him and promise of N30,000. He was brought down to negotiate. He begged to pay #10,000 and that his phone returned to reach his people. Moses later managed to put a call through to some people who eventually called the team leader of the patrol that eventually got him released. He was released but he was not eased of the pains in his knees, ankles, thigh, elbow, wrist, calf and shin. Moses now limps as a result and his life definitely will never remain the same.
The brutality of the police on harmless citizens has been on the rise in recent times. Moses’ case is one of the many crimes and unfortunately for the men in black, This time around, this will not find any carpet to be swept under because they got a ‘wrong’ man in Moses whose case is dear to family, friends, colleagues and the likes. Moses is reputed to be a gentle and loving fellow whose integrity has never been in doubt.
The Acting Divisional police officer in charge of the station upon getting briefed by the Publisher of Glintstone Magazine, Dare Akinniyi ordered for the arrest of the key officer Corporal Kayode who tortured the journalist prior to the transfer of his case to the state command Ikeja for further investigation. She totally condemned the act noting that the police is indeed the friend of the public.
However, this case should be seen to the letter to serve as a deterrent to other men in black with black intentions and to promote the consciousness of reporting similar cases which have been silenced due to fear of reprisal attack by the police. Nigerians must not suffer from the acts of terrorists like book haram and also from the acts of terrorists in form of some unqualified police men. Moses’ must part that red sea.
