A 27-year-old lady, Felicia Nkemakolam Okpara, has told a judicial panel in Nigeria’s commercial city, Lagos State, that she was assaulted by police officers for trying to stream the shooting of #EndSARS protesters.
News Central reports that youths across Nigeria had protested against a rogue police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) now disbanded. The unit had been accused of brutality, extortion, rape among others. The protests culminated in the alleged shooting of protesters at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos by the military. An accusation, the army has denied.
However, Okpara while speaking before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Related Abuses and other Matters said she was arrested, tortured and forced remove her bra.
Led by her lawyer, Ridwan Oke, she testified that she was beaten with the nozzle of a gun and, later, the butt.
“After taking off my bra, one policeman went inside and brought a broken mop stick and used it on a man that was also arrested,” she told the panel.
“After beating him, he went out and came back with the same anger and started hitting me with the nozzle of a gun.
“I was scared that he could pull the trigger. I think he realised what he was doing and then stopped and started using the gun butt to beat me.”
She said the police took her money, damaged her phone and threatened to detain her at Panti, Kirikiri and Abuja.
She said the police did not allow her and another lady that was arrested to make a call to anybody.
The lady added, “They took us upstairs and brought us back. That was where I saw Desmond Elliot. There were so many lawyers around.
“My head was bruised, my face was bruised. I saw some lawyers and Desmond Elliot. I saw someone from the government.
“Later, Desmond said where are the two ladies whose video was trending on social media? That was when I knew he came for me.”
The mother of one said that Desmond Elliot gave her N6000 to go home around 10pm, after she was released.
She added that she was nearly raped when she approached a man to help her get transport to Ikorodu.
She said she later slept in a hotel in the area that night and went for medication when she got to Ikorodu the next day.
Justice Doris Okuwobi admitted in evidence the photographs of her bruised body and face, medical report and damaged phone.
She adjourned the matter till December 4 for continuation of hearing.