The Edo State Police Command,
yesterday, said people misinterpreted the video, adding that the chained man,
Kesta Gozie, 25, was a suspected cultist and had to be chained because he was
acting violent. The police also said that the van was a stationery one.
The video was recorded and uploaded
on social media by an eye witness, Irabor Franklyn. The incident happened
on Sunday morning, by Tuesday, the video has gone viral, eliciting anger and
shock.
The video showed Gozie chained to a
police van and purportedly being dragged on the ground as the police drove the
van. People said the action was an abused of the fundamental rights of Gozie.
According to the Command, Gozie was
not tortured or dehumanized in anyway. The
Edo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Moses Nkombe, said that
Gozie was arrested following a distress call to police that some secret cult
members were operating along Sakponba road. He said that 10 suspects were
arrested.
Nkombe said that what members of the
public saw in the Facebook video was the fault of the suspect. He noted that
moments after Gozie was arrested, he became violent.
The image maker said: “Moments after
he was arrested, the suspect became violent. He tried to escape and was
therefore handcuffed.”
Nkombe further explained: “The young
man is Kesta Gozie, 25-year-old. He lives at Sakponba road. The police received
a distress call that some secret cult boys were operating in the area. Police
rushed to the area and arrested over 10 of them. But Gozie became violent; his violent
attitude led to his being handcuffed as he tried to run.”
Nkombe said that the vehicle, to
which Gozie was being conveyed to the station, was also stationary contrary to
the erroneous perception of people. Nkombe
added that the suspect and others now in detention committed a crime and would
soon be charged to court.
Meanwhile, one of the men who recorded the incident,
Irabor Franklyn said: “Many others and I were brutalised by men of the Nigeria
Police Force from Esige Police Station; all because we pleaded with them not to
drag the young man chained to the back of their Hilux van along the road. This
happened on Sunday morning, May 15th, 2017, between 1st East
Circular Road and Sopkonba road junction, Benin City. # please I need justice #”
An eye witness, said: “It may interest you all to
know that an innocent man, Augustine Ogbomwan, one of the persons that recorded
the animalistic scene, has been locked up at the same Esigie Police Station
right. He was arrested when he went to the station to pick his phone, which was
seized by the police during recording at the scene. He was detained and spent
the night in police cell that Sunday night until he was bailed with the sum of N30,
000. He was asked by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), one Inspector
Idemudia to come for his phone on Tuesday. On getting to the police station, he
was locked up again by the same IPO on the grounds that the video was uploaded
on the internet. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) instructed that Ogbomwan be
locked up. Please Nigerians, we all have to stand up and fight against this
inhumanity and oppression from the same police that are supposed to protect
us.”
The Deputy Commissioner of Police in
charge of Operations (DCP), Edo State Police Command, Mr. Ayodele Akindele,
said: “The command was on top of the situation.”
Ayodele, in a telephone interview
with New Telegraph, assured that the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Haliru Gwandu, would address the issue as soon as he returns from an official
assignment.
The DCP further said: “The Command is
carrying out investigation into the matter. The commissioner of police has not
mandated me to speak on the matter, but he will personally address the issue as
soon as he comes back.”
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