A lawyer in the Warri branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr Bernard Oyabevwe, was a June 5, 2018, allegedly beaten to a pulp by policemen attached to a police station in the ‘A’ Division of the Delta State Police Command in Warri for defending his client.
The lawyer was said to have visited the division to defend his client who was arrested by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Southern City News learnt on Sunday that Oyabevwe had visited the police station attached to the division, which is directly adjacent the state magistrate court, when the incident happened, leaving the victim brutalised with his eyes injured.
It was learnt that trouble started when Oyabevwe found out that his client and his wife had been forcefully arrested by the EFCC officials from Magistrate Court II and taken to the division.
The lawyer was said to have gone to the division to ascertain why his clients were arrested.
While there, a source told Southern City News that policemen at the station threatened to kill the lawyer and whoever dared to intervene.
The source, who spoke on condition of annonymity, said one of the policemen pushed the lawyer against the EFCC vehicle that was conveying his client and his wife to unknown destination.
Other policemen were alleged to have held Oyabevwe and beat him to the point that he could no longer talk.
“He started bleeding and coughing out blood until some court officials from both the high and magistrate’s courts intervened and insisted that he should be rushed immediately for medical treatment,” the source said.
The assault on the lawyer was said to have been carried out by over ten policemen (names withheld) who were alleged to have used their guns to hit the victim’s eyes.
Oyabevwe, who confirmed the attack on him, accused the Divisional Police Officer of the station, Mr Kenneth Zuokumor, a Chief Superintendent of Police, of being behind his attack, saying that he lost mobile set and N50,000 cash in his pocket.
He stated that he was charged to court at the end of the melee in his bleeding condition on three count-charge of obstructing justice, threat to peace and attacking the station.
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