The Abia State panel of inquiry ushered in petitioner’s Witness 3, in the hearing between Mrs Olachi Nwugo, Chief Legal Officer of INEC, Abia State , and the Abia State Commissioner of Police.
In his witness before the panel, Nze Pius Agu, palace secretary in Amaraka Ahiara Mbaise, Imo state, said;
” On that day, I was going to the palace on invitation, when I saw a jeep speeding, I saw two escort riders in pursuit of the jeep.
” One of the riders double crossed the vehicle, pulled out a short gun and ordered the driver to come down.
“When the door was opened , lo and behold, it was a woman driving the vehicle.
“They ordered her to come down and she was asking them, ‘what have I done’
” The one with the short gun was communicating with his radio.
“The woman(the petitioner), tried to get her phone from her car, one of the dispatch riders pulled her back on her hair, and took the phone.
“Minutes later, a hilux van filled with uniformed policemen arrived the scene. One of the policemen slide her down from the back and she fell. While she was still on the ground, one of them hit the woman’s head with his gun while the others were matching her with their boots .
” The other policeman shot at her two tyres. As a result of the beating the petitioner urinated and defecated on herself.
“That was when I intervened, but they threatened to shoot me. My youths intervened , that was when the police started shooting sporadically into the air” Agu said.
He further said; ” As they continued beating the petitioner, one of the policemen asked the others to shoot the woman and nothing will happen.
“It was one of them who came out from the vehicle , he was wearing a white senator and a red cap, he discouraged them from shooting the woman and said they should leave.
“As they were about leaving, one of the riders threw the petitioner’s phone into her car.
” As they left, the woman was lying helplessly, we called our women to help her as she wasn’t able to walk. They were three women who held her, and took her to a nearby house where she was cleaned and changed.
” The police vehicle’s plate had Abia State government including the body.
” We picked some bullet shells for identification.
” When the woman regained herself a little, she asked dfor her phone, we brought it from her car, she made a call and a vehicle came to pick her after some hours” he said.
During cross examination, the respondent’s Counsel, CC Nwaobilor, asked if the witness can recognize the said policemen if he sees them. Nze Pius said he can if he sees them at close range.
Further in his examination, Nwaobilor said to the witness, you didn’t know where they were coming from nor going to?
Nze said; ” from my investigations and the Nze of my community, my kinsmen informed me that earlier in that same day, they saw the same entourage escorting the governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu”.
When asked if he followed the petitioner to the mechanic, Nze asked ‘for what? Adding that the vehicle parked at the scene for weeks.
The matter was adjourned till March, 30, for defense
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