A mother of two, who gave her name as
Chika Elekwachi lost her pregnancy following police brutality ..Narrating her
ordeal to reporters, she said
“On July 19, 2015 at about 7 pm, I
was driving along Old Ojo Road to
my house in my Infinity QX35 Sports
Utility Vehicle with registration
number MUS157DG.
Park or I fire you: “In the vehicle
with me were two friends of mine.
On getting to Pako Bus-stop, a mini-
bus with four occupants double-
crossed us in a gestapo manner. This
made me to suddenly apply the
brake. At that point, occupants of the
mini-bus, who were dressed in civil
attire, jumped out of the bus. One of
the gun-wielding men had a black
branded police T-shirt.I was ordered
out of the car by the police who
yelled, ‘’Park or I fire you’’. Another
one spoke in pidgin English, ‘’Oga na
pregnant woman o.’’
In response, the first policeman said:
‘’If na pregnant woman nko, I will
kill her if she is not careful.’’ Before I
could move, my front doors were
flung open and I was pulled out of
the vehicle.All my pleadings that I
was eight months pregnant fell on
deaf ears, as they continued to beat
me. I was dragged on the floor and
eventually stripped naked.The
incident attracted a sympathetic
crowd, whose pleadings were
ignored because the men insisted
that I would follow them to the
station,” she recalled.
Continuing, Mrs Elekwachi said:
“While I sat on the floor to cover my
nakedness, having been stripped
naked, the police men began to drag
me; while struggling with them, I fell
and hit my stomach on the floor.“The
men were not deterred as they
carried me to the station where I was
dragged out of the vehicle. It was
there that I got a phone from a
passer-by and called my family to
intimate them about my ordeal. It
was at this stage that the Divisional
Crime Officer, DCO, came out to
know what caused the
pandemonium outside, because I had
lost consciousness.
I was then taken to Safe Hands
Medical Centre, where I was
diagnosed of maternal trauma and
placenta abruption. As a result of
that, a caesarean operation was
carried out on me to bring out the
baby, who died after four days in an
incubator at Outreach Medical
Centre, Satellite Town”.
Thereafter, the brutalised lady, who was not
immediately informed about her baby’s
demise, was taken to a government hospital
in the area for further medical attention. It
was at this hospital, that VF visited her for
the first time.
According to Elekwachi, her journey to the
health facility was facilitated by the Police.
She explained that the Divisional Police
Officer, DPO, in charge of the station was
sending police officers on daily basis to
inquire about her welfare and also to offset
some of her medical bills.
‘’The Police brought me to the
hospital. The DPO was sending
people everyday but the visit stopped
after a few days. I needed to buy
drugs that were prescribed for me
but I did not see them.I also needed
to scan my stomach and chest but did
not do so because the Police stopped
coming to the hospital. My calls to
them were also ignored. I didn’t see
them until I was discharged,’’ she
noted.‘’The policemen who visited
me at the hospital were concerned
about my condition. One of them
even informed me that those who
brutalised me were sent to a place
where a commercial motorcyclist
died in a motor accident. They were
sent there to ensure that the truck
that killed the motorcyclist was not
set ablaze. It was on their way to the
scene that they assaulted me,’’ she
said.
Continuing, she said:
‘’Since I was discharged the DPO has
not called me. However, my relatives
went to the station to collect the
death certificate of my baby but it
was not given to them. Rather a
letter was given to them requesting
me to come to their office in Ikeja on
August 3, 2015.’’
The letter titled “RE: Orderly Room
Trial”, dated July 31, 2015 has 4161/
LS/SAT/VOL 3/369, Chika Elekwachi
‘F’ as its reference number. The
invitation which emanated from the
DPO’s office read:
“I refer to the incident of 19/7/2015
along Old Ojo Road involving you
and three Policemen.
You are requested to report on
3/8/2015 at 10:00 am to the Provost,
Nigeria Police, State Headquarters
Ikeja to give evidence on the matter.
Accept my assurances of the Police
Commissioner’s highest regards.”
The invitation was signed by the
DPO, Mr. Felix Ofili, a
Superintendent of Police.
The orderly room trial seems to be sequel
to the confirmation of the incident by the
Lagos State Police Command and its
promise to investigate the matter.
It also noted that the three policemen had
been arrested.Not minding the concern
displayed by the DPO, some of those who
got wind of the incident are demanding a
proper investigation and prosecution of the
suspects according to the laws guiding the
force.
Elekwachi’s lawyer, Mrs. Franca Okafor
has already written a seven-page petition to
the Inspector General of Police and the
State Police Commissioner.
The petition read in parts: ‘’It is not
in doubt that the fundamental rights
of our client had been flagrantly and
violently breached by men of the
Nigeria Police and our instruction is
to demand from you the sum of N2,
500,000 (Two billion five hundred
million) for general exemplary and
aggravated damages coupled with a
public apology”.
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