Enemali, who hails from Anyigba Local Government Area,
was attacked by
the policemen allegedly for taking a picture of a
policeman in the process of collecting a bribe. The photo below shows swollen
face of the journalist.
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.
The victim recalled the incident took place on
December 13, 2013, Friday, at about 6.30 p.m. as he travelled 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.
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.”
He further noted three of the policemen 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.”
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.
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 wristwatch, and one of his sandals.
He said he plans to file charges
against the police with the assistance of human right lawyers.
Sahara Reporters
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