A victim of police brutality, Lucky Eze, has asked the Judicial Panel of Inquiry sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State to compel the Nigeria Police to pay him N20 million as compensation for damaging his ear.
Eze, who was a supervisor at a Filling Station in Ahoada Town, Ahoada Council Area, narrated that the incident happened on January 28, 2018, adding that he started experiencing difficulties in hearing after policemen, who invaded the fuel station slapped him severally.
Eze said: “I came to seek justice for brutality visited on me by the Police on January 28, 2018. I have been having a hearing problems since then. I have five medical reports from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) confirming that the slap created a hole in my right ear.
“I am here to seek justice to enable me to continue with my treatment, which I abandoned due to lack of funds. I didn’t abandon the treatment deliberately. It was stopped because there was no money. Secondly, I ask the panel to prevail on the police authorities to compensate me with N20m.”
At yesterday’s sitting, the Commission heard five petitions, while six petitions would be heard when the panel resumes sitting today.
Meanwhile, the panel stressed that it would not entertain unnecessary requests for adjournment of hearing by petitioners as it has only two months to conclude its assignment.
Chairman of the panel, Justice Chukwunenye Uriri (rtd), said the panel would only entertain adjournments where there are medical reports to back them up.
“We have over 170 petitions and we are expecting more. We will not tolerate any adjournment. The only thing that can warrant adjournment is a medical report,” he said.
Another petitioner, Nyordeh Sylvanus, narrated how stray bullets from SARS operatives, who were shooting sporadically at the Rukpokwu area of Port Harcourt, penetrated the roof of his residence and killed his three-day-old daughter.
Sylvanus, who also demanded justice for his late daughter and reroofing of his house damaged by stray bullets, urged the Rivers State Government and police authorities to make efforts to end police operatives’ incessant sporadic shootings in Rivers Stat
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
