Gabonese Police Brutality: Nigerian Seeks $2m Compensation

Four years after a Nigerian was tortured by some Gabonese police officers on allegation of theft, he is still crying out for justice and seeking $2 million compensation.

Checks by our reporter revealed that the Nigerian, Joseph Adumekwe, a 45-year old transporter from Imo State, lived in Gabon when the incident happened on December 16, 2007.

On that day, some Gabonese police officers stormed his residence in Libreville, Gabon, in Central Africa, abducted him and on getting to their station allegedly tied his hands, and feet, straddled and hung him on two poles and lit fire under his back.

Adumekwe, who spoke yesterday with our reporter, said that the officers came to his house to look for Uche Ekejuba, who was a member of Osu Progressive Union in Gabon. He was the chairman.

Ekejuba, according to Adumekwe, was declared wanted by the Gabonese police in connection with an allegation of theft at the immigration office in Gabon.

He lamented that despite the fact that he told the cops that he knew Ekujuba as a member of the union, but could not ascertain his whereabouts at the time he was arrested, “I was handcuffed, hung on the two poles, and fire was set on my back with newspapers until an unidentified police officer came and challenged his colleagues for the cruelty meted out to me.”

He further explained that when the attention of one Mr. Benjamin Ikuna, a senior police officer in Gabon was drawn to the incident, “he apologised but begged me not to tell anyone, as he could either be sacked or demoted by the police authorities on the order of the Gabonese government.

“I spent two months in a hospital in Gabon and after I was discharged, I visited the Nigerian Embassy in Gabon, where Mr. A. Dauda immediately called Ikuna to brief him about the incident.”

A copy of the report on the incident from Access to Justice, a non-profit justice advocacy organisation, made available by Adumekwe to our reporter reveals  the unwillingness of government officials in Nigeria and Gabon to compensate the victim.

The report dated 10 August 2010 and signed by Leonard Dibia, director, Programmes for Access to Justice stated that on or about 10 and 12 of May 2008, Joseph Adumekwe came to their office with scalded back, after being unlawfully deported to Nigeria by the Gabonese government.

In the report, Adumekwe said the Gabonese police officers tortured him in order to extract a confessional statement over allegation of theft by another Nigerian resident in Gabon.

Based on this, Access to Justice on May 12, 2008 petitioned the Gabonese Ambassador to Nigeria, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Chairman, Committee on Human Rights, House of Representatives, Attorney-General of the Federation, Secretary to the Federal Government and Mr. A. Dauda, a Nigerian official in Gabon, among others.

In June 2008, when there was no response from those concerned and the government agencies petitioned, Access to Justice again sent them the petition, only to get a mere phone call by Dauda, promising to ensure that Adumekwe is compensated by the Gabonese government.

But, as at the time of filing this report, Adumekwe said he has not yet received a dime from the Gabonese government as compensation. He vowed to continue the struggle until $2 million is paid to him as compensation.

—Emmanuel Udom