A Youth Corps member posted to Abia State for his one year compulsory youth service, has narrated his horrible experiences at the hands of the anti-kidnapping unit of the Imo State Police Command code named ‘Tiger Base’.
The corps member, Jonathan Nature, 28, a Nigerian citizen who hails from Ahoada East Local Government Area Rivers State and a graduate of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, disclosed that he was tied with ropes and hung on iron bars for several days in front of a juju shrine located within the detention centre. While still tied to the stake made of iron bars, he was beaten with irons and machetes on a daily basis by police officers identified as Odey and Alice who spearheaded the tortures.
According to a petition sent by Global Rights Foundation For Human Rights addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, ZONE 6, Umuahia dated August 24, 2022 and co-signed by Samuel Robinson and E.I. Uzodinma, Esq, the young Corps member was, “arrested on August 3, 2022 and detained at the Tiger Base anti-kidnapping unit of Imo State Police Command, Owerri for about 17 days, under serious torture, cruel, indecent inhuman and degrading treatment”.
He was released on August 20, 2022 following the intervention of the human rights defender, Samuel Robinson, executive director of the Global Rights Foundation and a member of the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Rivers State branch.
By the time he was released after 17 days of hellish detention, held incommunicado with sustained torture, the open injuries inflicted on him in the course of the torture were already decaying. He sustained a large lacerated wound on his right hand, with ring-like lesions on his joints and swollen right upper limb.
He complained of pains all over his body as a result of the severe tortures he was given; he also complained of numbness and inability to make use of his fingers to hold or grip something.
When he eventually regained his freedom from the police, Jonathan was rushed to a government hospital, in Ahoada, Rivers State where he was subjected to intensive medical treatment.
A preliminary medical report issued by Dr. Babeye of Zonal Hospital, Ahoada where he was rushed to, stated that the corps member presented a case of massive skin excoriation, with laceration on the right forearm, ring-like lesions on the joints, swollen right upper limb, with wounds in different stages of healing. The report further stated that, “on examination, he was found to be in severe painful distress, pale, febrile, and dispneic with easy fatigability. He was managed as a case of injuries with trauma secondary to police assault”.
The corps member was arrested following an allegation to the anti-cultism unit of Imo state police command made by one Miss Precious who resides at Owerri, alleging that the corps member was involved in the kidnap of her boyfriend and a longtime friend of Jonathan, the Corps member, Mr Osinachi Umunnakwe, also residing in Owerri. This publication gathered that he was ambushed where he went to meet Precious so that they would go together to Osinachi’s family house to inform them of the sudden disappearance of Osinachi. This publication gathered that a few minutes after meeting Precious at the spot, they agreed to meet as the take-off point to Osinachi’s family house, fierce looking heavily armed policemen emerged and rounded the Corps member up. Without wasting any time, they pounced on him and started beating him. When he inquired to know what crime he committed to warrant such bestial treatment, he was told that he kidnapped somebody.
Journalists who witnessed the incident and attempted to record it were arrested and bundled into the Tiger Base along with the Corps member. At the Police station, the phones of the journalists were searched before they were released while the Corps member was taken to a shrine within the station, where they tied his hands and legs behind his back as if about to be sacrifice him to the shrine, and started beating him with weapons.
Several hours after waiting for the return of the Corps member to no avail, and unaware of the arrest of Jonathan, his fiancée who knew that he went to meet Precious called Precious on phone to inquire about the whereabouts of the Corps member but surprisingly, she denied ever seeing the Corps member that day.
On investigation, it was suspected that the duo of Precious and her boyfriend, Osinachi may have arranged the so-called kidnap of Osinachi and later framed the corps member in the arrangee-kidnapping in order to extort money from him and maybe from Osinachi’s family also. Prior to the kidnapping, it was gathered that Osinachi, who was a close friend of Jonathan, had on Saturday, July 30, 2022, called him on phone, inviting him over to his house. When he called again, around 5pm, the Corps member told him he would come the following day after church service. Very early on that Sunday morning, Precious was said to have called the corps member to know if he was with Osinnachi.
After the early morning call, the search for Osinachi started, culminating in the arrest of the Corps member. When eventually Osinachi re-emerged, he said he did not know what happened, adding that the alleged kidnappers only collected his car and allowed him to go.
Samuel said Police really have to question Precious on the ordeals of both Osinachi and the corps member. His position is in line with the petition sent to the AIG, Zone 9, Umuahia by Global Rights Foundation which requested as follows: “We most humbly urge the AIG to use his good offices to order investigation or cause to investigate into the issue of the kidnapping raised in our petition with a view to unmasking the characters behind the dastardly act and to bring them to book”.
When contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Imo state declined comment. Both Osinachi and Precious did not also respond to calls.
JONATHAN’S TESTIMONY:
My name is Jonathan, Udegu town, Alvan Ikoku Fed. Col of Education, Owerri; Serving At Uka Uga Nkwogu Sec. School, Umuahia. I live at Irete, Owerri; I worked in Rap hotel, prior to my NYSC; I also worked in a hotel as a student, from where I raised money to Support my education.
I met Osinachi in the Alvan Ikoku College of Education and we have been friends since we met in school’ since 2017/2018, he was my friend till he left the school and travelled out of the country. I continued until I graduated; it was on July 30, Saturday when Osinachi called me on phone and requested me to come to his house, that he bought chairs we talked about before. He requested that I should come with one of our school mates, ZAGA; he called around 3pm. He called around 5pm and I told him I would come the following day, after church services. On that Sunday, very early in the morning when I was still on bed, Precious, Osinachi’s girlfriend valled me and asked if Osinachi was with me. “Is Osinachi there with you? I did not answer, but rather cut the call. I then called Osinachi to find out what he told his girlfriend, whether he told her that he was with me. I wanted to know where he was to know what to tell Precious. When I called Osinachi, his number was switched off. I then called Precious back and told her that Osinachi was not with me.
I told her that I had an appointment with him after church service, that I would go and check on him. After the service as I wanted to go for the appointment, I called his line but it was switched off. I had to call Precious and told her that Osinachi’s line was still not connecting.
On Monday morning, I called her to find out if she had gone to see Osinachi, she said no. I decided to go to the house, although I have not gone there alone before.
Blue house, Umuoyo. As I reached the house, nobody was in the house. I inquired from a neighbor, and they said they saw her last on Saturday.
I was also told a man and a boy and Precious had come to see Osinachi. When I confronted Precious with the information, she said she did not enter the compound; at some point, she stopped taking my calls.
On Tuesday, I was still calling the number; around 4pm, the phone rang and I asked him why his phone was not ringing and he said nothing. I asked again and the person with the phone asked me who I am and if I am a family member. He asked if I am the father that came from Dubai with him. I called Precious to know if she knew what was going on and she said no, that I should not involve him. I asked her to direct me to his family house in Owerri, but she said she did not know where the family house was. I became more suspicious, knowing that Osinachi and Precious have been dating for the past 5 years.
On August 3, she called me and said she had found the address, that it is at works layout, but I told her it is not correct, that they live at World Bank Road. She told me to join her so we go together. I went and saw her; as I was with her, police rounded me up, started beating me up. And said I am a kidnapper. I asked, who did I kidnap, and they said I would know when we get to the station. Pressmen who saw them beating me up tried to snap the incident, but the policemen stopped them and also arrested them and took them, along with me to the Tiger Base station. They searched their phones to know if they recorded anything, before releasing them.
They took me to a shrine in the station, tied my hands and legs at the back and started beating me. My 2 hands and legs paralysed.
When my fiancée whom I told I was going to meet Precious so that together we would go to Osinachi’s family house called Precious and asked her that since I went to see her, she had not heard from me, Precious said that she had not seen me, saying that after waiting for about 2 hours without seeing me, she left. She said maybe I had been kdnapped by those who kidnapped her boy friend. She said nobody should disturb her.
They held me at the station and seized my phone. Nobody knew where I was until God intervened and they allowed me to make contacts.
