How female inspector tortured, damaged my legs, says cab driver

Francis Ogbuagu Benin City

A 37-year-old cab driver, Mr. Vincent Omosigho Erawuyi, has revealed in chilling details how a woman police inspector, Beatrice Amowie, used the butt of her gun to torture his legs until he almost passed out from intense pains.

Vincent, a Higher Diploma Holder (HND) from the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, said that both of his legs are presently useless to him. He also mentioned that his alleged torturer works with the Edo State Police Command.    

The victim, a father of two, said that after his graduation, he searched for jobs, but everywhere he went was a dead end. He resorted to commercial driving to make ends meet.

He said that his troubles with Amowie started after he was arrested for disobeying traffic and fighting with a police officer.

According to him, he was locked up in the cell for three days before he was taken to court. Although he was granted bail, he was still returned to police detention facility because he couldn’t meet his bail conditions.

He said: ‘At the police station, I was handcuffed, with both of hands behind and forced to pay on the ground, while the woman police repeatedly used the butt of her gun to hit my two legs. I almost passed out from the pains.”

Recollecting the incident like it was yesterday, Vincent said: “It all started on June 10, 2021. I was driving along Sapele Road, at Limit Junction when I saw a passenger, who flagged me down. I was not aware that people were not supposed to park at that particular junction. The passage quickly jumped into my car. When I looked at the other side, a traffic officer was already at alert, hitting my car. He was attempting to break the side mirror of my car. I quickly drove off.  The following day, as I was driving pass that point, because that’s my route. I stopped to apologise to the officer. Unfortunately for me, maybe some other persons may have offended him, I don’t know, but he shouted, ‘Did you see me here yesterday? Are you mad, are you stupid?’  He held me by the neck and I had not even come down from my car. Then in an attempt to free myself from him, my finger scratched his face and blood dripped on his uniform. I was arrested and taken to New Etete Divisional Police Headquarters. I was pushed into the cell and after three days, I was brought out and asked to write a statement. It was then I knew that my Investigating Police Officer (IPO) was a female. After the statement, she started hitting me. Her anger was just too much. After another three days, she called me out and said, ‘today is your court day.’ I was bundled into a waiting cab.”

He said that he had not legal representation because his family, friends and colleagues were not aware that he was going to be taken to court on that day. He also alleged that he couldn’t reach his family members because his IPO had seized his phone.

Vincent recounted: “In the court, the magistrate granted me bail, but because I couldn’t meet the bail conditions, I was returned to the police station. The woman said I should go and asked of her, that she doesn't take nonsense from anybody. She took me to her office and asked me to sit on the floor and then she handcuffed me, with my hands behind. She then used the butt of her gun to pound on my two legs. The wounds were oozing blood and there was no treatment. In fact, even the drugs my wife brought for me for my pains and injuries, was snatched by my IPO and trashed. The case was almost getting out of hand before my people met my bail conditions and I was released. Today, I have spent more than N300, 000 on hospital bills! I was taken to a hospital close to my house after my release and it was there I was referred to the University Of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH)”

At UBTH, Vincent was asked to go for an x-ray, which cost N100, 000. He appealed to Nigerians to help him as he has spent all he has.

The wife, Stella Erawuyi, while narrating what she went through while her husband was in detention, broke down and wept. She said: “They did not allow any of us to see him in the cell so I had to pay N1,000 each time I went to the cell to visit him. They refused us to see him after they beat him and injured him.”

Also, his mother Mrs. Magadaline Erawuyi said life had become unbearable for her since the incident, as she has spent so much money. She said that Vincent’s condition was becoming worse and that she wanted well-meaning Nigerians to assist him to get proper medical help for his legs.

She stated: “I use to cry every day because I never knew that a woman who knows how difficult it is to carry a child for nine months and give birth to it, will do this kind of thing to my son. I have not seen the woman, but I would like to know her. People should help me.” She started sobbing.

The Edo Civil Society Organisation (EBSCO) in a letter to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Phillip Ogbadu, signed by the Interim Chairman, Bishop Osadolor-Ochei, (JP) and dated July 1, 2021, said, “the above-mentioned group do write for and on behalf of Mr. Vincent Erawuyi who was in our office to report a case of torture and maltreatment on him by Inspector Beatrice Amowie with service Number 271609 and attached to New Etete Divisional Police Headquarters.”

The statement states that Vincent did not have any dangerous weapon nor used same to attack any police officer to warrant his present condition. The group also said that Amowie assumed the position of a complainant and enforcer of judgment, adding that Vincent was battling with life-threatening condition as a result of injuries inflicted on him by Amowie. The right group, therefore, asked the Commissioner of Police to investigate the matter and make sure that justice was served.

But a police source said that on that fateful day, one of the car dealers at the junction called an officer at the New Etete Divisional Police Headquarters, to inform him that somebody almost killed a police officer on duty and that even before a patrol team dispatched to the scene got there, a patrol team from another division had arrested him.

“On that fateful day, one of the car dealers at the junction called one of our officers here, informing him that somebody almost killed a policeman on duty and a patrol team was dispatched to the scene, but before they got there, a patrol team from another division had arrested him, while another cabman drove his vehicle to this division. It was those Police officers from other divisions that brought a short Iron used to inflict injury on that policeman on duty. When we brought him, he was drunk and on seeing that he was drunk, the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO), said that he must go to court. It was the next day that he was arraigned. He was taken back to the cell because he was to be remanded. He was not taken to prison because of the COVID-19 rules which state that every accused must undergo the test before being taken to prison. However, before the test, his people perfected his bail conditions and he was released. Nobody was told that he was injured. It could be outside the stationed that he was injured and may have decided to put the blame on the police.”

When our reporter contacted the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), a Superintendent of Police (SP), Bello Kontongs, on the matter, he said that he was aware of the incident. He also stated that he had received several calls from activists on the incident, adding that the victim needed to be accompanied by those calling for justice in the incident to the command headquarters or zone 5 so that the matter could be treated.

He added: “I've received several calls from journalists and activists on the matter but the advice I have been giving is that they should bring the victim to the command headquarters or zone 5 headquarters so they can properly lodge their complaint and we then follow it up. The station concerned is just a divisional police headquarters, so it is not higher than the state command or zone 5. When we receive the complaint formally, we will handle it.”