A housewife has petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation, (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and other security agencies over the unlawful detention of her husband, Mr. Sunday Okoro, about a year now on allegation of threat to life in Sapele, Sapele local government area of Delta state.
Mrs. Rose Okoro, said her 14 years old son, was also arrested, handcuffed with the father and paraded like common criminals while their telephones were confiscated, adding that her son was in detention for over three weeks before he was released, but that her husband was refused bail on several attempts by her lawyer.
Mr. Sunday Okoro was arrested by the complainant, Mr. Sunny Nwankego at Sapele, Sapele local government area of Delta state on September 9th, 2020, on allegation of threat to life, about a year ago.
Mrs. Okoro said their lawyer had made several attempts where her husband, Mr. Sunday Okoro, was granted bail on three different occasions but was refused bail by police, rearrested and taken to another court on same allegation of threat to life by his prosecutor, allegedly acting on the instructions of the team leader, Abba Kyari for no just course, hence her husband still in detention for about a year now.
Mrs Okoro narrating her ordeal said, “On Wednesday Sept. 9th, 2020, at about 6:30am my husband, Sunday Okoro was unlawfully arrested in our home with our 14 year-old son, our gateman, the DJ working in our hotel, my husband sister’s son, Precious and his cousin by some men on mufty who ransacked their private home and hotel without finding any incriminating thing.
“They were all taken to Benin and when l inquired, l was told the police were not from Benin but a team led by Abba Kyari before they were transferred to Abuja and they were denied bail for 2 weeks until we had a human right activist who came to our rescue but before then the complainant, Sunny Nwakego who is not a police was the one dragging my husband to a school in Benin in company of the police officers for torture every morning.
“He was able to secure the release of our son, the gateman but the DJ was not allowed to go until we paid the sum of 600,000 naira while my husband was still held, maltreated and kept in an abattoir from Sept. 9th to Oct. 27th, 2020 before taken to an area court in Mpape that has no jurisdiction to entertain an alleged case of threat to life.
“The area court in Mpape declined jurisdiction and my husband was remanded in Suleija correctional center with no concrete evidence of the offence till May 19th 2021, when he was arraigned for a case of threat to life and act of terrorism at the federal high court Abuja.
“The judge granted him bail on health grounds over the unlawful torture he went through in the hands of the police for urgent medical attention before he goes blind but was refused bail before the complainant filed another fresh charge in another federal high court on threat to life and act of terrorism again.
“The complainant and DSP Fasasi Abiodun asked the IRT prosecutor to file a murder charge against my husband, but the prosecutor refused, upon his refusal, DSP Abiodun and Abba Kyari took another prosecutor at the FCT who agreed and accused my husband of illegal possession of arms, robbery, threat to life, act of terrorism but still without evidence.
“Luckily bail was granted again but DSP Abiodun who led the team of policemen, intercepted the prison vehicle at the court gate and hijacked my husband to an unknown destination.
“Meanwhile the FCT prosecutor has filed another case of murder again in another court and the hearing was for 21st of July 2021(Sallah day), but same DSP Abiodun and the FCT prosecutor took my husband to Mpape prison Nasarawa after keeping him for days, brought him to a magistrate court on same issue that is before federal high court.
“We believe they have been paid heavily to monitor and rearrest him as soon as he is bailed, hence we are seeking all round Justice for my husband, Mr Sunday Okoro as this is totally unlawful and all those involved should face the wrath of the law.”