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Schoolboy lands in prison for filming police officers assaulting young man

Published

3 years ago

April 5, 2023

Schoolboy lands in prison for filming police officers assaulting young man

Chidiebube Ohadoma, a resident of Ihiagwa in Imo State, has narrated to FIJ how police officers in the state assaulted her and her siblings.

Her ordeal began on March 9 when police officers arrested Solomon, her brother, for snatching a phone belonging to one of his debtors.

FIJ had reported how Solomon, in his bid to recover ₦7,800 from this debtor, snatched the phone and was charged for robbery by the police after arrest.

Chidiebube filmed the policemen violently assaulting her brother, and in the clip she published on Twitter, a policeman in mufti can be seen cocking his gun in preparation to shoot.

“I later saw my brother in the station with wounds on his body,” Chidiebube told FIJ. “A nurse was treating him but there was blood all over, and he was still bleeding.”

After Solomon’s arrest, the police invited Chidiebube to the station on the same day. She went with four of her other siblings, but on their way, a policewoman and two policemen accosted them, and the encounter became violent.

Both Chidiebube and Henry Okoye, the spokesman for the Imo State Police Command, confirmed to FIJ that there was violence, but while Chidiebube said that the police pounced on one of her sisters, Okoye said the Ohadoma siblings attacked the police first.

1 NIGHT IN POLICE CELL, 13 IN OWERRI PRISON

Chidiebube told FIJ that when the police were beating her sister, she and a schoolboy filmed the incident. This boy would end up in a police cell, face a magistrate and then spend two weeks in a prison cell, accused of assault alongside the siblings.

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“The young boy, Onyema, came out of a cyber cafe and saw the police assaulting my sister, so he started recording them with his phone,” Chidiebube told FIJ. “I also stood in a corner to record, while one of my sisters, Chizaram, was watching them too.

“As the assault was ongoing, two policemen in uniforms arrived the scene and joined in the beating. They spotted Onyema, dragged him, slapped him and took his phone. They said, ‘You want to be a cameraman, you saw policemen and you were recording.’

“When they saw I was recording too, a policeman approached me where I was hiding in a church building. When I saw him coming, I posted the video on Twitter. He dragged my phone, then they carried Onyema and Chidinma to the station. The rest of us followed.”

Chidiebube said only Chidinma and Onyema were arrested, but when they all arrived at the station, policemen dragged them all behind the counter, denied them access to their family and lawyer, and then arraigned them before a magistrate the following day.

They all spent a night in the station, and 13 nights in the state correctional facility in Owerri, the state capital.

“They injured my sister on her shoulder and eye,” Chidiebube said of the police.

5 PHONES DETAINED BY POLICE AS ‘EXHIBITS’

Chidiebube told FIJ that upon satisfying their bail conditions, the magistrate let all the arrested parties go but the police refused to return their phones.

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“They told us that our phones were exhibits and they would not give them back to us until the case was over. They still have my brother in their custody for robbery,” she told FIJ.

When FIJ called Okoye, he said the DPO of the station was supposed to have released the phones since the accused had been let go.

He said it was standard practice for the police to collect personal effects of people arrested and return them later. The parties were released on March 23, but their phones were not returned.

Okoye said, “They injured our personnel too. This case is already in court, and I think we should wait for the verdict. It is a culture that when we arrest suspects, we collect their properties. They should go meet the DPO and collect their phones.

“If the suspects controlled their temperament, they could have resolved it. When we send police to effect arrests, suspects fight the police.”

He said if the Ohadoma siblings approached the DPO, they would get their phones back. But Chidiebube is wary of approaching the police station again.

When FIJ spoke to her, she said she did not want to visit the police station again following her last experience. As of press time, the phones remained in police custody, and so did her brother.

Schoolboy lands in prison for filming police officers assaulting young man

Related Topics:police officers prison schoolboy

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Court Orders Accelerated Hearing of Suit Challenging 2025 Tax Acts, Declines Injunction

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Court Orders Accelerated Hearing of Suit Challenging 2025 Tax Acts, Declines Injunction

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Monday ordered an accelerated hearing of a suit challenging the 2025 tax acts, but declined to grant an interim injunction restraining their implementation.

The suit was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of African Initiative for Abuse Public Trustees against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other key government officials, citing alleged discrepancies in the newly enacted tax laws and their proposed implementation date of January 1, 2026.

The respondents in the suit include the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the National Assembly.

In a motion ex parte, the plaintiff sought an interim injunction to restrain the Federal Government from implementing the tax laws pending the determination of the substantive suit. The applicant also requested an abridgment of time for the defendants to file their responses, approval for substituted service, and an order for accelerated hearing.

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Ruling on the application, Justice Bello Kawu, sitting as a vacation judge, granted the request for accelerated hearing and approved substituted service on the defendants.

The court ordered that the first and second defendants be served through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, while the fourth, fifth and sixth defendants are to be served via the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

However, the court declined to grant the interim injunction sought by the plaintiff, refusing to restrain the Federal Government and its agencies from proceeding with the implementation of the 2025 tax laws at this stage.

Justice Kawu directed that all defendants be put on notice and adjourned the matter to Wednesday, December 31, for the hearing of the motion on notice.

Court Orders Accelerated Hearing of Suit Challenging 2025 Tax Acts, Declines Injunction

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Amotekun Arrests 39 Suspected Terrorists Fleeing Sokoto After US Airstrikes

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Paraded suspected criminals

Amotekun Arrests 39 Suspected Terrorists Fleeing Sokoto After US Airstrikes

The Ondo State security outfit, Amotekun, has arrested 39 suspected terrorists who reportedly fled Sokoto State following the Christmas Day airstrikes conducted by the United States military in Nigeria’s North-West.

Speaking during the parade of 100 suspects across the state, Amotekun Commander Chief Adetunji Adeleye said the 39 suspects claimed to have relocated to the forests of Ondo State after fleeing the northern part of the country.

“A couple of days ago, 39 suspects were arrested, all claiming that as a result of the heat turned on them in the northern part of the country, they relocated into the forest,” Adeleye said. “We are still profiling them, and after profiling, those found with incriminating equipment and materials will be prosecuted.”

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The commander emphasized that anyone residing in Ondo State forest areas must obtain official permits, warning that the sudden influx of such elements raises serious security concerns.

Adeleye further revealed that synergy with neighboring state security outfits, including Ekiti, Osun, and Ogun, has led to significant arrests. Some suspects are still under investigation and were not paraded.

Regarding other suspects, Adeleye disclosed that of the 100 arrested, 61 were paraded:

50 for general law and order violations
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The suspects ranged in age from 18 to 45 years. On the rape cases, Adeleye identified three suspects: 19-year-old Daniel Ojo, 33-year-old Usman, and 41-year-old Bejide, arrested in the Isinkan area of Akure, the state capital.

He commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for providing an enabling environment for security operations and thanked all state security agencies, including the police, civil defense, army, DSS, and local vigilantes, as well as the public, for their support.

Amotekun Arrests 39 Suspected Terrorists Fleeing Sokoto After US Airstrikes

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Malami, Son, Wife Remanded Over ₦Billions Money Laundering Charges

Published

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December 30, 2025

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Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN)

Malami, Son, Wife Remanded Over ₦Billions Money Laundering Charges

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre, pending the hearing of his bail application.

The order also applies to Malami’s co-defendants — his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe. The directive came from Justice Emeka Nwite after hearing arguments from the defense led by Joseph Daudu (SAN) and the prosecution team of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by Ekele Iheneacho (SAN).

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Malami and his co-defendants are facing a 16-count money laundering charge. According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired to conceal, retain, and disguise the proceeds of unlawful activities totaling several billions of naira.

The charges reportedly span several years and include the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano, and other locations. Some of the offences allegedly occurred while Malami served as Attorney-General, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

The defendants pleaded not guilty. While the defense urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms, the prosecution opposed it, citing the seriousness of the charges and the magnitude of the alleged financial crimes.

Legal observers describe the case as a high-profile anti-corruption trial in Nigeria, marking one of the most significant prosecutions involving a former chief law officer of the federation. The matter has been adjourned for the hearing and determination of the bail applications.