(1) Police Extra-Judicial Killing

and Lawlessness
Police Extra-Judicial Killing and Lawlessness

Pastor Uses Police, Soldiers toTerrorize Innocent Person

For daring to demand his debt of about Two hundred and Eight Thousand
Naira (N208,000) from his pastor, Mr. Eworo E. Emeng of Jabez
International Ministry, Port Harcourt, Nnana Adoo and his family of six
children have not only been subjected to constant police harassments, but
have been locked out of their resident at No. 3 Car Link road, off Abacha
Road, Port Harcourt. Mr. Adoo, a bricklayer, who hails from Botem in
Babbe Kingdom, Ogoni, was locked out of his apartment with his wife, who
was then nursing a four month old baby and his five other children. I am
now stranded, the small business I dey do, I no fit do again, my children
no
longer go to school.We are all packed in a small store in front of the
premises
where my wife is doing small trading, Mr. Adoo lamented to CEHRD. He
further disclosed that a lady nurse who was touched by his family's
ordeals
in the hands of the pastor gave him a store, a pot, spoons and plates with
which they have been eating since their properties were locked up in the
compound.
Before locking Adoo and his family out, the man of God, a pharmacist
who works with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),
Waterline, Port Harcourt, as chief pharmacist was said to have used both
soldiers and policemen to harass, arrest and detain Adoo, a member of his
church. He had also used lawyers to issue quit notice to him, claiming to
be
the owner of the property. One of the quit notices served on him by one
Jude
E.Mamawas handed over to him three days after the birth of his new baby.
But determined to force him out of the premises which belong to Anjuba
Oruambo who resides at Abuja, the Ogoja-born pastor who metAdoo as
the
caretaker in the compound, brought two soldiers to torture him and forced
him to accept to quit. Mr. Adoo was not at home when the rented soldiers
came. On May 17, 2008, he was arrested by policemen from Olu-Obasanjo
police station but was released the following day following the
intervention
of his land lady's son Sodi who, though was in Abuja, directed somebody
to
go and release him on bail. After listening to Adoo, the Olu Obasanjo
police
dismissed the matter saying that he had no case to answer. But the pastor
I couldn't believe it; when my wife delivered, I told him. I
baptized him in
his church, and three days later, he gave me another quit notice
telling me

to pack out from the house. I asked him whether he was really a,
man of
God, that he should pity the new baby and his mother.
Police Extra-Judicial Killing and Lawlessness

later used policemen from Nkpolu Mile 3 police station to arrest and
detained his 18-year-old son, Festus Adoo. The policemen who affected
the
arrest narrowly missed Adoo as he was not in the house when they came.
When he later sent somebody to secure the release of his son, he was told
to
pay N20, 000.
He then sought help from the Legal Aids Council which referred him to
CEHRD. Following the intervention of the groups and the then Port
Harcourt Area police commander, Mr. Jonathan Udoh, the boy was freed.
However, the police refused to advise their customer to open the door and
allow Mr.Adoo and his family gain access to the house and belongings
after
about two weeks. Contacted on phone, the landlady expressed dismay
that
the pastor locked out a man who has been working for her and has been
living in the premises over the years. The pastor can't do that, she said.
Mr. Adoo was living peacefully in the yard from 1997 until 2007 when he
asked the pastor to pay him the sum of N208, 000 being cost of labour he
rendered for the pastor's church building. It was gathered that when the
pastor moved into the premises in 2006, he was welcomed by the
caretaker,
Mr. Adoo who did clearing and other jobs for him when he was building the
church. He charged N2, 000 daily for the labour. Mr. Adoo, who was
converted to Christianity by the pastor, said that he considers the pastor
as
God on earth until he showed his true colour.
Mr. Joshua Oseveta, a taxi driver based inWarri, the slummy over-crowded
Metropolis of Delta State who was tortured by 5 policemen from the
Enerhen Divisional Police of the state police headquarters, Asaba, Delta
state is now a blind man.
On March 31, 2008 the police officers flagged down Oseveta who was
driving his passengers Volkswagen Passat taxi along Urhobo College Road
in Effurum, inWarri.As the taxi cab stopped, the police officers demanded
a
bribe of N200 (less than $2) and when the driver pleaded with them that
he
doesn't have money again and that he has just paid similar bribe at a
nearby
police checkpoint, the angry bribe-loving police officers pounced on him.
They beat him with the butt of their guns to the extent that their prey
(Joshua
Taxi DriverTortured by Police OverN200 Bribe Goes Blind

Police Extra-Judicial Killing and Lawlessness

Osevata) bled profusely and they left him.

A victimized Oseveta who had his right eye and body seriously bloodied
first went to Delta state Government owned general hospital to receive
treatment for his injuries. Some days afterward, he was referred to an eye
specialist hospital inWarri.
The victim lamented to CEHRD in Pidgin English, a corrupt version of
English Language which has now assumed a life of its own in Nigeria. This
is the translated version of Joshua Oseveta's interview in English:
He broke down and wept uncontrollably while talking toCEHRDmonitor in
Warri.
CEHRD contacted Mr. Gabriel Ughoton, the Enerhen divisional police