Police Brutality: Pregnant Woman Allegedly Loses Quadruplets

***We Have Commenced ‘A Holistic Investigation’, Says Aniamaka

Police officers attached to Tactical Squad Zone 5, Benin, led by one Inspector Idako Moses and 4 others, Tuesday, brutalized a popular celebrity dancer and winner of the 2017 five Star Dance Competition online, Jane Mena with kid sister, Usiwo Patricia and Mrs. Cynthia Alu to an inch of their lives.

Usiwo Orezimena Jane also known as Jane Mena is a graduate of Mass Communication, Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, and a professional photographer cum dancer, while Usiwo Patricia is a graduate of Biochemistry, Benson Idahosa University, BIU, Edo State and Mrs. Cynthia Alu also a graduate of Accounting, DELSU, Abraka, mother of three and pregnant with quadruplet.

Other officers involved in the alleged cowardly assault on the trio are Sergent Njom Patrick, Sergeant Ikponwosa, Corporal Joy Harrison and two others leading to death of Mrs. Cynthia Alu’s unborn quadruplet.

Trouble started when Jane’s friend, Mrs. Alu, who is six weeks pregnant, visited Jane at her residence behind NTA Asaba, the Delta State capital to furnish her with good news who just came back from holiday overseas.

It was learnt that at the entrance of the street, due to the poor state of the road, an altercation ensued between Alu who was driving a Toyota Camry and another man driving a Sports Utility Van, SUV, as to who has the right of passage, leading to a gridlock.

Moments later, the man exited his car, boarded a tricycle popularly known as “Keke” and left the scene.

Worried by the situation, Cynthia exited the car and walked down to Jane’s house, but on reaching there, within few minutes and on returning, police officers were already hovering round the car, asking for the owners of the cars, when Cynthia identified herself as the owner of one of the cars.

Our correspondent gathered that, Cynthia, however, entered her car, and tried to reverse, when a police officer attempted to remove the plate number. Our correspondent gathered that, at this juncture, Jane pleaded with the officer, saying, “Oga, abeg leave the plate number”, but the officer rebuked her vehemently, calling her a bastard and a prostitute, before seizing her by the collar of her dress, thereby exposing her private parts (breast).

Our correspondent reports that, as a show of solidarity for a family member in distress, Patricia, held the officer by the uniform and pleaded for Jane’s release, but her plea rather infuriated the officer and he and his colleagues left Jane, pounced on Patricia with reckless abandon and dragged her on the floor of the earth road to the tarred road beating her to an inch of her life.

Meanwhile, according to an eyewitness, the celebrity had gone inside her residence to dress well to avoid been assaulted further by the officers and on returning, the female Corporal Harrison who was not on uniform and unknown to Jane that she was a police officer, again, allegedly seized Jane by the dress saying “if you think say you dey mad, I mad pass you” and Jane reciprocated by holding corporal Harrison’s dress too, saying ” Madam, please, leave my dress” and it was at this juncture the officers allegedly cuffed her, saying she has beaten up a police officer and were dragging her to their patrol van.

This reporter learnt that, at that instance, a Good Samaritan Marine Captain, who was driving past the scene of the event, allegedly pulled over and insisted that if the celebrity must be taken to their station, he would convey her in his vehicle.

Her pregnant friend, Cynthia also insisted to join the Captain’s vehicle to the station when one of the officers attempted to restrain her joining the vehicle, but on insistence allegedly seized her by the neck tightly and threw her to the floor of the tarred road, before she went into comatose.

On allegedly perceiving the lady was dead, the officers charged into their patrol Van, and attempted to abscond from the scene of the crime when the brave celebrity also ran in front of their Van with cuffs in her hands and restrained them from absconding, before she was taken to the hospital.

Narrating how her pregnant friend, Cynthia Alu was treated in a near death situation in tears, Jane Mena said : “I had to run in front of their moving police van shouted at them to take my friend to the hospital.

” They stopped because other onlookers started shouting at them to take the woman to the hospital. You needed to see the way these men who are supposed to protect the lives and property of Nigerian citizens were dragging the pregnant woman on the tarred road.

” On our way, we stopped at a Pharmacy and immediately the nurse saw the woman who had regained consciousness, ‘ shouted we don’t have the injection for a pregnant woman, please, take her to the hospital she registered’ and she asked them to take her to Komfort Konsult maternity ward, G.R.A Hospital, Asaba.

” All the while about 20 minutes had been wasted as the officers were debating among themselves and we left the Pharmacy thinking we were going to the hospital. These killer cops branched the GRA Police Division to take police report when my friend was dying and a senior officer in the station shouted at them to take the pregnant woman to the hospital before talking about police report.

” As soon as we got to the hospital, she was given blood tonic because her strength was already failing her, before administering drip. I was with her for sometime and when I came out I saw the leader of the team, Inspector Udako Moses giving my younger sister, Patricia N30, 000 and begged her to delete all the videos we have of their assault on us.

” And she was later discharged that day, but the next day morning her mother called me and was crying, saying that Cynthia was bleeding profusely from her private part and had been rushed back to the hospital, so; I immediately zoomed off to the hospital.

” On getting there, the doctor confirmed to me that she has lost the babies and they had to evacuate the dead babies from her womb in order to save her life.”

Cynthia, who was traumatized, crying and shivering due to death of her babies, while this reporter asked about her ordeal corroborated Jane’s account, saying, ” The blood of my babies will hunt these officers for the rest of their lives.”

A sound recording made available to Oasis Magazine by one of the officers indicated a threat to the life of Patricia Ewomazino. It sounded thus : “I will waste your life and nothing will happen.

The video of the alleged assault went viral on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with award winning bloggers like instablognaija, Vanguard Facebook page, Linda Ikeji blog, and among others who carried the ill-fated news.

Only on Instagram, this video has generated over 300, 000 views and shared over N10, 000 times on Facebook.

Celebrities have described the act as pure evil, barbaric and uncalled for, calling on the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim to bring the killer cops to justice.

However, the police in Delta State have begun investigating the matter.
In a press statement issued in Asaba on Thursday, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, said the command had “commenced a holistic investigation into the alleged brutality brought against its men.”
The statement however disputed the claim that the brutality was perpetrated by SARS operatives. “The operatives involved are not personnel of Federal SARS, Delta State but operatives of ‘5’ Tactical Squad based in Asaba, Delta State.”
He said any police officer found culpable would be prosecuted.
The PPRO advised the victims to remain calm, sagged and repose confidence in the police to do justice to the matter.
“The command enjoins the public not to be quick in distrusting the police as the hierarchy at all levels has always demonstrated the willingness and capacity to bring erring personnel to justice,” Aniamaka said.