The victims, an apprentice welder with Omote Fabrication Company, Enerhen, 28-year-old Onome Emakpor; 27-year-old shoe mender with workshop at Ekete Inland, Ekete, Samuel Obebe and one Boloko were arrested on July 30.
Samuel Obebe and Onome Emakpor, victims
Vanguard learnt that members of the vigilante group stormed the Owhase town residence of the victims and arrested two brothers, Onome Emakpor, Akpevwen Emakpor and a family friend, Samuel Obebe, who was on a visit, while reportedly on a manhunt for one Ekugbe.
Counsel to the victims, Oghenejabor Ikimi, in a petition to the Inspector General of Police, said after the arrest, “the above children of our client, Mr. Emmanuel Emakpor and their family friend were locked up in the boot of the cars that brought the said vigilante and were driven to the Ovwian Town Hall, where they joined four others arrested by the said vigilante men from Owhase town.”
He said all those arrested were tortured for hours by their captors, adding: “Onome, Samuel and one Boloko were separated from the others and taken to the back of the Ovwian town hall where several gunshots were heard and till date, nothing has been heard of the whereabouts of the said persons.
“Akpevwen and three others were later released at noon same day after our client and the parents of the other men were compelled to pay the N40, 000 each for their bail.”
He said the Divisional Police Officer, Ovwian, denied knowledge of the incident when he contacted him, “hence this formal petition to your office.”
Describing the action of the vigilante group as barbaric and unconstitutional, he called for a thorough investigation to unravel the whereabouts of the three persons and “bring men of the Ovwian vigilante group to book as justice delayed is justice denied.
No comments:
Post a Comment