A journalist with the Daily Times newspaper in Kaduna State, Mr. Idibia Gabriel, has been brutalised by Nigerian police personnel for taking pictures of policemen shepherding a large number of cattle in the state.
The journalist sustained eye injury following his arrest, torture and inhuman treatment at the hands of the security operatives.
He told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that he was arrested and brutalised for taking pictures of policemen shepherding the cattle on public road on June 11, 2024, without any other disagreement between them.
He said, “I was arrested and taken to the CID police station at Gabasawa solely for taking the snapshot of a large number of cattle shepherded by the police around Valid Oil filling station, along the popular Kachia expressway at U/Boro, Kaduna, around 8:30 am, and released in the evening time.
“I was released with one of my eyes almost blinded as a result of the torture, unholy and merciless treatment meted out to me while in the police custody at Criminal Investigative Department (CID), Kaduna branch office.”
Mr. Idibia explained that he “met two of the police officers before taking the snapshot of the cattle with the intention to use the photo as proof to clarify with the state police command spokesman on reasons for the arrest of the cattle, numbering over 50, which has been the usual practice.”
He said, “The police deleted the snapshot from my handset and took every of my detail, including contact number, address and even description of my residents before I was released on self-recognizance.
“I’m scared that they may come after me later. I’ve just arrived at my resident on foot, at about 9:30 pm, in U/Boro, Sabon Tasha suburb, an area of about 6 kilometers from Kaduna main town where I was arrested and kept since morning of today (Tuesday), June 11, 2024.
“I was arrested and taken to Gabasawa, CID police station for taking a snapshot of a large number of cattle arrested and shepherded by police around Valid Oil filling station, along Kachia expressway, after identitying myself, without a kobo on me.
“When I rushed out of my house on hearing of heavy traffic holdup caused by cattle and police at Kachia Road, around the new market U/boro, I had no penny on me.
“My phone and ID card were seized before I was even taken into a police van and driven to Abattoir area of U/Pama Road where they waited, assembled and kept the cattle before I was later taken to the CID office at Ibrahim Taiwo Road, inside Kaduna main town.”
He continued, “On arrival at the Investigation Police Officers (IPO) office at CID office, I was given a ‘dirty blow’ (punched) on my left eye by one of the police officers I met on Kachia Road before I took the snapshot of the cattle.
“All I could remember was that I spoke to the same officer who dealt me the blow in their office, on the Kachia Road and later left him for his colleague but both of them could not respond properly, let alone answer my greetings, when I ran to them on the road.
“I withdrew from following them for further enquiry when all efforts to get there respond proved abortive, even after introducing myself as a journalist and took a snapshot of the cattle, where my handset was immediately seized by one other officers coming from that direction.
“I immediately brought out my ID card to further prove myself as a true journalist which was also seized by another police officer and taken to the one with my phone, and I was then asked to enter their van and driven away, shouting and threatening me.”
He said on arrival at their office, he was told to write a statement.
He said, “I pleaded that I should be allowed access to my phone to call someone before doing so but was denied access to the phone by a female police officer in mufti, insisting that until I finish writing my statement.
“Even when pleaded that I cannot see well with one side of my eye closed due to the injury from the ‘blow,’ I was taken outside the statement office and coaxed to write my statement by force.”
The journalist said after he was released, he went straight to the office of the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Hassan, which is close to the CID office.
He said after explaining his ugly experience to the police spokesperson, who was about to go out, Hassan denied knowledge of his arrest.
He said Hassan however promised to investigate the matter but had yet to get back to him at the time of filing this report.
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