Most definitely this story will leave you in tears, is a story of a 40yr
old man identified as Effiong Elemi-Edu who was imprisoned for 15 years
for the murder of politician, Alfred Rewane, which was later discovered
that he was not involved in the act.
Narrating his ordeal to Aljazeera, Effiong who is from Cross Rivers,
said on October 6th 1995 in the Ikeja part of Lagos state, he had gone
out to buy suya for himself and his wife when suddenly he heard
gunshots. According to him, he took cover and later decided to run to
his house. As he made the move to run home, he was halted by an order
from a police officer. Read the full story below…
"I stopped. There were police officers, lots of
them."
They asked him where he was going and he told them but instead of
letting him go on his way, the officers pushed him into their vehicle
and accused him of being an armed robber.
"I didn't understand what they meant because I was not carrying any
weapon on me, just the money I was going to use to buy suya. They took
us, myself and one other guy to SARS [Special Anti-Robbery Squad] at
Ikeja, where they kept me under a tree. Later, they came and took me to
the 'theatre'. There, there were two drums filled with sand. I was tied
like a goat, two of my hands at my back; they crossed an iron rod at my
back, and then hanged me" He said he hung in that position for One hour,
20 minutes.
"They tried to force me to admit I was an armed robber - they even shot
me in the leg. I have never robbed anyone in my life. I was just a young
man struggling to save money to get admission into a higher institution
to further my education."
Effiong who had a dream of becoming a mass communicator had his hope
dashed because an influential politician Delta state, Alfred Rewane, had
been assassinated that morning by unknown gunmen at his residence in
Ikeja GRA, a few hundred metres from Effiong's home.
Effiong was in the wrong place at the wrong time
"They held me for days. There was no phone at that time and there was no
way for me to get in touch with my family. It was my wife who learned
about it. I think the people who saw me when I was taken away told her.
Then she travelled home to inform my mother. They wanted me to copy a
statement they had written to say that I am an armed robber and that I
conspired with the others in the murder of Rewane. I refused. They beat
me till my face was covered with blood which was pouring from my left
ear. I didn't want to die, so I recopied the statement in my own
handwriting. The statement is what they used in implicating us. As I was
recopying the statement, the only thing on my mind was that I didn't do
anything and that my God will let everyone know the truth. It was later
that one of the policemen came to tell us that he was sorry, that it
was an order from above. Later, they charged eight of us with the
murder of the man. I don't know the man, never heard of him. Those that I
was charged with murder with, I had never seen any of them in my
life."he said.
After being tortured and forced to admit guilt, seven of the men were
arraigned before a high court, and sent to Kirikiri prison to await
trial. But when the men arrived at the prison, prison officials insisted
that the police take them to hospital to have their wounds treated.
Instead, they took them to a police station - where four of the men
subsequently died, reportedly due to the injuries sustained while being
tortured by the police.
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