Armed officials of the Abakaliki Correctional Service Centre reportedly attacked an Ebonyi-based legal practitioner, Ekigbo Sampson, inflicting severe injuries on his ear.
According to a police medical report obtained by Daily Sun from the Nigeria Police Medical Department at the state police headquarters in Abakaliki, and signed by DSP Uche Okette, Ekigbo was diagnosed with ear trauma and otitis media following the incident.
The report stated that the lawyer had a history of being slapped on his right ear, which caused him pain and trauma.
He was referred to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, for further treatment after receiving first aid.
The attack, allegedly carried out by four armed officials of the Abakaliki Correctional Service Centre, occurred on Tuesday evening.
In a petition signed by his lawyers, J. Elom and Kingsley Ogodo, and addressed to the State Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, the lawyers recounted the incident, “On the 26th day of November, 2024, at about 1400 hours, our client, while in transit around a filling station on the Abakaliki/Enugu Expressway, was collided into by a tricycle.
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“After the incident, our client parked near Hariz Filling Station, discharged the tricycle driver, and entered the station to arrange for repairs.
“While waiting outside for his mechanic, our client was walking across the station when a Green Toyota Hiace Hummer bus of the Abakaliki Medium Correctional Center drove in and nearly collided with him.
“Our client asked the driver whether he knew what he was doing and moved on. Shortly afterward, Mr. Pius Nwode alighted from the bus with a firearm, accompanied by another tall, dark officer.
“They aggressively approached our client, slapped him hard on his right ear, cocked the gun, pointed it at him, and said, ‘I will waste you here, and nothing will happen.’
“Fearing for his life, our client stood in shock, uncertain about their next actions,” the petition added.
The Public Relations Officer of the Abakaliki Medium Correctional Center, Nneka Iyasei, provided a different account.
She stated, “The issue is not personal between the barrister and an individual but between him and the institution.
“Our officers were not out for personal errands; they were on a national assignment, transferring inmates legally authorized by a court from one correctional center to another.
“They ran out of fuel and could not afford to queue with inmates in the vehicle, given the security risks.
“Despite the lawyer’s suspicious behavior, such as making phone calls, which made him appear unusual, he was only pushed aside and not attacked. Our officers are not known for instigating trouble.”
The incident remains a subject of investigation.
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
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