BENIN CITY – An automobile Engineer, Bright Obahiagbon who was on Wednesday February 25, 2015 allegedly attacked by some policemen on the orders of one Florence, an ASP of the Operations Department, Edo State Police Command has appealed to the state Police Commissioner Mr. Samuel Adegbuyi to intervene in the brutality and mayhem meted out on him.
Engineer Obahiagbon was severely brutalized by four mobile policemen.
It was learnt that the woman Assistant-Superintendent of Police, ASP became enraged during a brief misunderstanding with the Engineer.
The victim, Engr. Bright Obahiagbon was allegedly abandoned in a state of coma by his attackers.
It was further learnt that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Oba Market stormed the scene and rushed the unconscious Engineer to a nearby hospital following distress calls made by some witnesses.
He was however revived about 41 hours after.
Narrating his ordeal to our Security Reporter who visited the hospital, weekend, the victim disclosed that the unfortunate incident occurred at a filling station by Siluko-Ekewuan road junction, Benin on the said day.
Engr. Obahiagbon said he had parked his car behind a black jeep by Siluko road as he earlier saw two boys discharging fuel from a jerry-can into the vehicle fuel tank.
He said that as he was approaching the fuel nozzle with his empty gallon, a woman ASP emerged from the crowd around the nozzle and ordered him to go back and remove his car behind hers.
He said that he pleaded with her to be patient with him as he would not be long at the filling station, and promptly dropped his gallon beside the crowded nozzle.
The victim alleged that as he was going back to remove his car, the policewoman ran after him, saying that “I told you to go back and remove your vehicle you still went ahead to drop your jerry-can close to the fuel nozzle, before I knew it, she gave me a slap.”
Engineer Obahiagbon further stated that “ I was shocked and I said to her, you woman! Slapped me? If not that you are a woman. She shouted at me, what would you have done? Or you think you can fight with me?
“Again, she pushed my head. In order not to do anything stupid, I just walked across the road and she ordered the two boys to get me”.
He, however, lamented that as the two boys were dragging him, a team of armed mobile policemen that was passing by was swiftly flagged down by the enraged woman ASP, on whose directive they descended on him without asking questions.
“As they were beating me the woman brought out something, it was not teargas, I know teargas, she sprayed it on my eyes and one of the mobile policemen cleared me off my feet, that was all I could remember until I found myself here (UBTH) this afternoon, (Saturday).”
His elder brother, Mr. Eddy Obahiagbon said his brother was earlier rushed to a private hospital along Ekewuan Road by the DPO of Oba Market Police Division after the beating and Evbuotubu Police Division was further directed to move him to UBTH when his case did not improve after several hours.
He however expressed reservation over the brutality and the non-response to his medical bills since he was admitted in the hospital.
He appealed to the State Police Commissioner, Edo State Governor and other relevant authorities to intervene with a view to paying the medical bills and bringing those policemen to justice.
A lady who claimed to have watched the brutality from her shop near the filling station said that the woman police created an unwarranted scene and acted like a frustrated market woman.
She however expressed thanks to God that the woman was not armed during the browl as she would probably have fired the Engineer.
Contacted, the Spokesman, Edo Police Command, DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie stated that the case has not been reported at any police station.