A law firm in Cross River has petitioned the State Commissioner of Police, Gyogon Grima, over alleged brutality, torture and disfigurement of its client, Mr. Ogo Ichire in Ikom Local Council of the state.

The firm, Sunny Mgbe and Associates, in a petition letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Cross River Command and dated November 6, 2024, alleged that officers of the command brutalised its client, resulting in serious bodily and internal injuries, including a split of his humerus.

The firm which has earlier issued a petition to the command on forgery of lease agreement regarding their client and one Mr. Moses Uwaeme accused the Police Area Commander of Ikom, ACP Franklin Akanonu and his officers at Okuni-Ikom of brutally beating their client.

According to the petition, Ichire was arrested on October 3, 2024, tied with a rope, with his mouth gagged and was thrown in a waiting car allegedly owned by Uwaeme. He was allegedly detained for five days without food and water at the Area Command Office in Okuni ? Ikom.

The victim was later released and was hospitalised at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, he said. ?Our client was arrested on Thursday, October 3, 2024, bound with ropes with a gag over his mouth, almost choking him to death, and thrown into the boot of a waiting car belonging to Uwaeme. Our client was driven, bound and gagged to the Area Command Office at Okuni ? Ikom, beaten blue and black, kicked like a football even while bound and then clamped into detention for five days without food and water.

?The brutality meted out to our client resulted in serious bodily and internal injuries including a split of his humerus. See attached photographs and medical report from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital reference No. PT 181340 dated October 22, 2024.

?All the events happened under the watchful glare and approval of the Police Area Commander at Okuni ? Ikom, ACP Akanonu,? the letter allegedly stated.

When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer, SP Irene Ugbo said she was not aware of such an issue, but promised to verify it. At the time of filing this report, she was yet to do so. (The Guardian, excluding headline)

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