Romanus Okoye
An alleged SARS brutality victim, Okoli Agwu Abunike yesterday identified police lawyer as the person who slapped him four times when he went to serve court documents at Panti Police Station and threatened to file fresh petition against the lawyer at the panel.
Okoli who said that he was surprised that a lawyer who had such issue with him had the temerity to appear before the panel, raised the allegations when he was being cross-examined in a petition he filed at Lagos State Judicial panel for SARS. He had alleged that he was tortured for forty-eight hours by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
Narrating his ordeal, Agwu who  resides in Okokomaiko, in Lagos, said he was abused and roughly treated by SARS operatives. He said his two teeth were extracted by the police unit.
His words: “I worked for a company for four and a half years as a manager. After my resignation, my boss invited me for the authentication of my resignation. When I got there, my boss had me arrested by police officers from Ojo police station.
“I was later taken to Ikeja police command where I was manhandled and brutalized by Inspector Sunday popularly known as Baba Ijapa and ASP Haruna.
“I was labelled a fraudster and was beaten, severely injured, dehumanized and dragged all around Alaba International Market. I was also taken to my church and disgraced before the congregation for an offence I knew nothing about.
“On the instruction of my boss, I was detained for 48 days and a bucket filled with cement was strapped at my back. I had bruise all over my body and two of my teeth were removed. The officers beat my wife and mother and they threatened to kill me if I did not confess to embezzling my company’s fund.
“They took all my property. They seized my house and sold my car to make up for the money they said I had embezzled. My boss also threatened to kill me if I did not pay back all the money I stole.
“The case was taken before Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court and he awarded a damage of N10m against the police. But between 2016 and 2020, I have not seen anything. They have not complied with the judgment.
“They sold my land and car. In fact, the person the land was sold to dragged me before a Magistrate Court in Badagry and the Magistrate remanded me in Kpotopiri prison for three days for my inability to meet up with N50,000 fine.
“I want to appeal to this honourable panel to compel the police to honour the judgment of the court and return all my property or pay the damage because I have lost everything that I now live in running errands for people to feed my family.”
obtained two judgments earlier. The judgments were tendered as evidence. Okoli said he was briefed that judgment had been entered in appeal and he was not aware until the panel started sitting.
  Okoli said the brutality aspect of the case was not cancelled. Okoli said he could not remember appearing in Court of Appeal. He is also aware that the matter has been taken to Supreme Court. Okoli works for Ogungbeje who also represents him as lawyer. According to Okoli, Ogungbeje told him about the appeal court judgment delivered in 2019 until after the first sitting of the Judicial Panel.
Defence lawyer said Okoli is facing criminal trial at Ogba magistrate court. Okoli insisted that police sold his property. Lawyer said Okoli’s mother and wife took the property to Prince Cletus Ugwu (former employer) who sold them but Okoli objected.
During cross-examination, the police lawyer told Okoli that he was misleading the panel since he was aware that the N10 million judgement he got in two separate courts judgment had been overruled by an Appeal Court judgement. Be however said he was not aware of it until he came to the appeal. He also said the one he heard out didn’t counter the brutality against him.
His case was adjourned till December 4 for continuing hearing.