Published 4th Dec, 2021

By Daniel Ojukwu

On October 27, David Ibangah was abducted from his house in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, by unknown men in a black tinted vehicle.

His family would later learn that his abductors were, in fact, policemen attached to the Rumuorlumini Police Station, acting on the instruction of one Favour Origie and Albert, two civilians.

Refusing to let him go alone, Victoria, David’s mother, followed the police to the station where she watched officers brutalise her son and strip him naked.

Recalling the incident, Goodness Ibangah, David’s elder sister, told FIJ that she was not at home at the time, but was called when the police broke into their house without identification cards or an arrest warrant.

“I asked that the men show my family members their identification cards or warrant of arrest if they were from the police, but they refused to do either,” she told FIJ.

She said after her mother arrived at the station, she was denied access to David for over six hours as they brutalised him. While this torture was ongoing, the police “verbally harassed and insulted her as she waited under the rain,” said Goodness.

DPO, INSPECTOR CALL TO APOLOGISE

Goodness said after she hired a lawyer, Adi, the Divisional Police Officer, (DPO) in charge of the station and one Inspector Amadi called to apologise to her, saying they made the arrest in error.

They also released David later that day. However, they returned after a couple of weeks to rearrest and charge him to a magistrate court.

David was brought before a magistrate on Friday, and told to make a N100,000 bail bond deposit, but before he could pay, the magistrate had left the court.

He will remain in custody until Monday when his matter will come up again.

GENESIS OF DAVID IBANGAH’S ORDEAL

“Favour Origie and one Nwala Vincent, on September 21, rented a property belonging to Victoria Ibangah, David’s mother. David was tasked by his mother to collect rent on the said property,” said Goodness.

“Two weeks after this agreement, Favour returned with Albert, requesting a refund, as she was no longer interested in staying in the flat. My mum asked them to wait a little or, better still, get a replacement for the apartment to enable them recover their money.

“They refused and came the following day to pick my brother with men we later discovered were officers of the Rumuorlumini Police Station.”

She said although the police later agreed the matter was a civil one, they forced her mother and brother to sign an undertaking to return the money on an agreed date.

On December 2, they both went to the police station to refund part of the money, but the police refused and went ahead to charge David to court.

When contacted, the DPO declined to comment, saying the matter was already in court.

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