Victim Of Police Brutality Cries For Justice

From Ekaete Ikubor

PORT HARCOURT

A 32-year-old lady, Ms. Jane Amos, allegedly scalded with a burning stove by a police officer at her residence at Rumuokwuta in Obio/Akpor Local Council of Rivers State has insisted that justice should be served on the suspect.

Amos allegedly sustained severe burns following an altercation with a co-tenant, who is a police officer, identified as EzekahAkbelu, in January.

The incident occurred when Akbelu allegedly felt disgruntled after his love overtures at Amos were not reciprocated.

This, a source said, allegedly led to a squabble, which resulted in the police officer’s alleged scalding of the victim with a burning stove.

Speaking after her discharge from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), where she had been on admission for one month, Amos dismissed the insinuation that she has abandoned the case.

She said: “I want to use this medium to dismiss the rumourmaking the rounds that I have abandoned the case of the police officer, Ezekah Akbelu, who threw a burning stove at me that resulted in severe burns on my body. There is no iota of truth in the rumour. I had been on admission for one month in the hospital. When I was discharged,  the medical doctors said I should be coming for treatment every two days.”

Amos said police officers investigating the case from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) visited her at the hospital and took her statement.

She, however, said that there has been pressure from different quarters on her to drop the case, though she insisted on justice.

“Even though there is pressure from some quarters on me and my family to abandon the case, I want to state that I have not and will not abandon the case. I want justice to be seen and done in this matter. I have suffered severe pains, trauma, and great financial loss since the incident”.

“I call on the commissioner of Police in the state, CP Friday Eboka, to use his good offices to ensure justice is done in this matter,” she pleaded.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe Koko, has confirmed the arrest and detention of the suspect, adding that investigation was ongoing.