‘Welcome to hell fire’

Justine

On August 1, 2013, Chief Bonaventure Mokwe, an hotelier based in Anambra State, was accused of being a ritualist and murderer. He was arrested with his wife and staff.

He was later paraded by the police and detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Awkuzu, Anambra State. Minutes after his arrest, his Upper Class Hotel was levelled to the grounds.

The hotelier believed he was set up.

 Mokwe who had since been granted bail by the court and hired Barrister Femi Falana (SAN) to sue the Anambra State Government for dragging his reputation through the mud and demolishing his three star hotel, said that his arrest and the destruction of his property were based on spurious and defamatory allegations.

While Mokwe was in the police custody, a civil society group, Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), a nongovernmental organization, which acts as a watchdog over police activities, took up the fight on his behalf, screaming injustice.

While attempting to prove Mokwe’s innocence, NOPRIN said it stumbled on alleged atrocities going on at the Awkuzu SARS.

According to NOPRIN, investigation carried out in-mid January 2014 revealed that Mokwe and his workers were framed with the murder of one Nnalue Okafor, 23, whom it was discovered, was already in police custody before the arrest of Mokwe. NOPRIN believed that Okafor was killed in detention.

One of the hotel staff arrested along with Mokwe is Mr. Justin Nwankwo, a PhD student/Researcher at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.  He was the Manager of Mokwe’s hotel until his arrest and subsequent charged to a Magistrate Court for alleged murder and possession of human heads and firearms.

Nwankwo gave a detailed description of what he witnessed in SARS, calling on the Federal Government to change the mentality of policemen attached to SARS. Below is an excerpt of his experience in SARS:

Nwankwo: “I arrived Awkuzu SARS on August, 1, 2013. I tried to keep my mind alert, refusing to faint or collapse in the police van. On our arrival at SARS, I read the bold inscriptions on the wall of that Nazi camp, which reads: ‘Well come to hell fire.’ I quickly told myself that we are in for the worst.

“I was marched straight by the almighty O.C SARS to an open hall. All other victims were separated, each to his or her fate. Standing by one end was a police officer with two suspects who were chained together and the tempo of the interrogation was getting higher. Momentarily forgetting my own ordeal, I looked around the hall, which looked like a torture camp. Ropes were streaming down from ceiling tops, bags of sand were elevated on perimeter wall fence of the hall and all types of rod and metal in varying shapes, length and size stare at you.

“We heard shouts of people from the back of the hall, screaming in pains. Buckets of water were at standby in case one faints or opts to die before appending signature to already written statements. I was still taking in the entire facility when I was jolted back to reality by the sound of a rapid military rifle...tem! tem! tem! You no wan talk...you wan follow am go? you wan travel?’ Those were the words from the other end of the hall. I tried looking, but slaps from my Investigating Police Officer (IPO), reminded me that I was not in this camp for an excursion. That guy don travel oooo ...so make you tell me the truth otherwise I go travel you,’ were the words from the officer.

“Meanwhile, the O.C torture, the second in command and about four other police officers started asking me questions. The questions ranged from personal to academic.

When I got to the point, where I was explaining that I was a PhD student, the questions suddenly ceased and the O.C shouted. Mister! Tell us what happened or I will shoot your two legs,’ I started my story of what happened but that was not what they wanted to hear. The questions were already and I must be categorical in my answers...Your director kill people? I said no sir! And the torture started. Ropes were tied round my two hands. My two legs were tied, then both legs and hands bended and tied together with a rod passing through in between them and then elevated to a perimeter wall. In fact, if you’ve watched a goat being prepared for suya, then you are close to getting the picture. At the turn of each question and noncompliance, a bag of sand was added at my back, to add extra pain. I cried until I passed out. A cold bucket of water brought me to reality. From minutes to hours, the torture lasted but never stopped until finally one started confessing lies! You can even confess that you killed Babangida so that you could be brought down from where you had been tied.

“From hanging on the beam, they took me down and tied a rope in a strangulation mode around my neck, inserting pin and rope inside the penis. One is immersed in pains and your pre-written statements a product of individual pain threshold.  I came to know the real essence of that cell days later. Cursed with five cells at that Bay, some are better than others. Cell 5 is the worst because it is tagged, "Condemned cell."

“If you happened to be there, then you are not in Awkuzu SARS because that cell for them does not exist. High profile criminals caught with military rifles are kept there, awaiting execution and because our case had the entire above element, I smelt the cell for six hours. I was transferred the following day, while Director (Mokwe) remained there till August, 5, 2013. From cell 5, I was moved to Cell 1 and to Cell 4, where I rotted away. I was not allowed to take bath or brush my teeth. I defecated in a nylon bag and only saw ray of sunlight occasionally. The cell was a total black cell, filled with the stench of suspected criminals caught with locally made rifles. In my days at Guantanamo bay, I rekindled my pastoral skills and led the two twin cells of 3 and 4 in morning, afternoon and night devotions.

“Sleeping was with one eye opened because gunshots fill the air at all times and people are summarily judged through the barrel of a gun. A room of not more than 2 square size, packed full with 29 to 31 suspects. Heat, hunger kills and police bullets do the rest. In the cell, talks of going to court are freedom itself. Every day we waited for our turn, singing to God.”

Police spokesman, Emeka Chukwuemeka when contacted about allegations of extra judicial killings and torture in SARS made by NOPRIN, said he would not react to ‘something he had not seen.’ According to him, NOPRIN had not alerted him of any allegation.