Funke Busari, Lagos
A couple, Mr. Okuchukwu and Mrs. Ndubisi Obiechina appeared before the Panel set up by the Lagos State Government to probe allegations of abuse by the officers attached to disbanded Special Anti- Robbery Squad, SARS in 2017.
The petitoners on Saturday jointly narrated their ordeal to the Lagos State Judicial Panel on restitution for victims of SARS related abuses and other matters.
In a laden voice, Mrs. Ndubisi Obiechina told the panel that she was wrongly arrested on 2nd June 2017, detained for 22 days and verbally abused and tortured.
Obiechina said about one of the officers that came to the school where she teaches to arrest her, “He said I should come out of the school, immediately the officers approached me, they started beating me that I should enter the Jeep. They said I am a thief, armed robber and kidnapper.”
She said the intervention of her husband did not save her from further dehumanising treatment and trauma as SARS officers also arrested and tortured her husband.
She explained she lost two pregnancies to the torture when she was arrested and detained for 22 days and that during October of same year, she further narrated: “While we were preparing for church on a Sunday, Philip Rieninwa, Haruna and other SARS guys intruded into our house. “I was two months pregnant again as at that time.”
“I called our lawyer and I also called Christian, I told him when I called him that I don’t need any emotional trauma, tell me where you are taking my husband to.
She told the panel, that, “Christian replied, Oga said he wants to see him. I asked who is Oga and he said Philip and that the order is from Abba Kyari.
She said as a result of the emotional stress she encountered in the hands of the operatives she gave their names as Philip Rieninwa, Christian, Haruna Idowu, she lost her second pregnancy.
According to her, justice is what she wants because the Federal High Court in Lagos had awarded compensation for 2 million Naira even as she informed that Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by SARS.
Adopting her testimony before the panel, Mr. Obiechina who appeared to have whispered to his wife not to forget to mention that the officers made away with their money, a 50,000 naira he withdrew from ATM when he was called on phone by the officers when he was coming to help her.
She concluded, “We bailed ourselves with 250,00 and 150,000 naira.
The head of investigative panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi however said in view of the fact that the petitoner mentioned names of some officers, she informed that the panel will communicate with Commissioner of Police to get the officers to come tell their own side of the story.
Further hearing has been adjourned till 10 November, 2020.
