Rights Group Demands Justice For Woman Beaten By Police Officer In Delta, Petitions CP

By Daniel Dafe
A rights group in Delta State, Centre for the Vulnerable & the Underprivileged, (CENTREP), has demanded justice for a woman, Mrs. Rose Simeon, who was beaten by the Divisional Crime Office 1, Agbarho Police Division, DSP Fabian Ayemeh on the 22nd of June, 2020.
Married with four children and a food vendor in Okuokoko, Okpe Local Government Area of the state, Rose was beaten up when she went in search of her son, Ufuoma Emmanuel, a dry cleaner, who was arrested by men of the Nigeria Police in Agbarho while returning from his dry cleaning store on the 21st of June, 2020.
Emmanuel’s crime was that he flouted the curfew order put in place by the Delta State Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa.

According to Centrep, when at the counter, she demanded to see her son who was held in the police cell, and in the process was compelled by a police woman to pay the sum of N500.00 (five hundred naira) before she will be allowed to see her son.
That immediately the money was paid, the police officers on duty brought out her son and in the process of scolding the son for breaking the curfew order, DSP Fabian Ayemeh who walked down from his office to the charge room in anger demanded to know why Mrs. Simeon was making noise in the station.
Before Mrs. Simeon could utter any word, DSP Ayemeh slapped her on the face and went on to physically abuse her.
In the process, the victim fell on the bare floor while DSP Ayemeh continued the beating and in the process kicked the victim on her stomach, waist and buttock with his boots unprovoked.
Mrs. Simeon began to wail on the bare floor in pains and got the attention of the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Samuel Ogwa who came out of his office and requested the her to stand up but could not because she was in severe pains.
We gathered that some police women who tried to assist the victim to regain her balance were stopped by the DPO who assumed that the Mrs. Simeon was faking her injury.
Thereafter, the DPO ordered his men to teargas her, saying that she was pretending so that she can be filmed by members of the public present at the station and put on Facebook.
After several hours on the bare floor, she was carried out of the said station, after the Divisional Police Officer reluctantly ordered his men to take her in a Police Hilux to the General Hospital, Agbarho.
Mrs. Simeon was prevented from putting a call across to her husband, Mr. Simon Owoku by some policemen on duty on the orders of the DPO.
On arrival at the General Hospital, Agbarho, Mrs. Simeon requested that she be taken to the Central Hospital, Warri, saying that she was not comfortable being treated at Agbarho.
Centrep said the police refused and brought the victim back to the Police Station in Agbarho and abandoned her on the bare floor in pains.
It took the intervention of one of her neigbours, Beatrice who came with a tricycle to carry her home at about 7:00pm.
Owing to the curfew she could not be taken to the Central Hospital, Warri that night.
On the 23rd of June, 2020, Mrs. Simeon was however taken to the Central Hospital, Warri where she was treated and discharged same day.
Also, Ufuoma Emmanuel was released to his step father, Mr. Simoen Owoku.
Centrep noted that as law enforcement officers, Police Officers owe Mrs. Simeon a duty to care for and protect her.
The rights group therefore called on the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Hafiz Inuwa Mohammed to order a comprehensive and an independent investigation into the matter in a bid to bringing the above Police Officers to book if found culpable, as justice delayed is justice denied.