Shakespeare?s saying that ?when beggars die, there are no comets seen? seems to be playing out at the National Hospital mortuary in Abuja, where a Nigerian citizen, Ugochukwu Nwaokporo lies cold, having succumbed to tuberculosis at the tail end of March this year.

According to reports, he fell seriously ill at an open space where he normally slept at Idu- Karimo in the federal capital and was rushed to the National Hospital by his close friends. Unfortunately, he died at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Several months before his death, Nwaokporo was a familiar figure at a food garden in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, where he limped about, clutching newspapers that told the story of how the police crushed his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

With the aid of crutches, he moved among customers, showing those willing to listen the newspaper reports, and often winning their sympathy, thereby earning a plate of food or a bit of money in return.

In most of his conversations, Nwaokporo lamented how a judge had awarded him a paltry N5 million, instead of the N50 million his lawyer had demanded in compensation from the police.

This reporter, who was aware of the misfortune that befell him and played a role in exposing his ordeal at the hands of the police in April 2008, encountered him on numerous occasions in that garden, as he begged to survive, a bullet wound in his left leg.

Nwaokporo?s story

At the age of 17, having completed a mandatory training as a mechanic in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nwaokporo ? a native of the Izza Effiong community in Ebonyi State ? decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He contacted his friend, one Anthony Chukwu, who lived in Abuja.

Chukwu responded favourably and sent him directions. On February 17, 2001, Nwaokporo boarded a commercial vehicle to Abuja to begin what he hoped would be a life-changing journey. However, due to mechanical issues, he arrived at Idu Motor Park around midnight.

As it was his first time in Abuja, he resolved to wait in the park until 6 a.m. before continuing his journey.

?While in the park, I saw a police van drive in and noticed some people running away, but I stayed where I was seated.

?Two policemen approached me, and one of them, without saying a word, aimed his gun and shot me in the left leg before throwing me into the back of their van.

?They took me to Life Camp Police Station, where I spent eight years in a cell without ever being taken to hospital for treatment,? he said.

Throughout his detention, Nwaokporo said he never placed his injured leg on the ground. Instead, he washed the wound with his own urine to prevent infection.

He also claimed that during those years, he witnessed the tenures of at least nine divisional police officers, each one handing him over to their successor.

?I found favour with some of the female officers at the station. Whenever they came into the cell to preach the Bible, I would recite any verse they mentioned from memory, much to their amazement,? he recalled.

Reconnecting with his family

While in police cell for almost eight years, a lawyer, Nnaemeka Ejiofor, who also learnt of his case, reached out to the young man to get the contacts of his family in Ebonyi State.

The lawyer disclosed that Nwaokporo had lost his Abuja contact during his arrest but was able to give the phone number of his father off-hand.

?I called his father, Peter Nwaokporo and was surprised to hear him say his son was dead and had been buried with all rites done at his community in Ebonyi State,? the lawyer said.

He said the father suspected him to be a swindler and further told him that he is a pensioner and has no money to give for such trick.

The lawyer said he had to reach out again to Nwaokporo, who further gave him the names of his mother, siblings and gave vivid descriptions of things in his father?s compound, which made the old man believe him.

?The father had to send down his daughter, who was a student in the Nigeria Law School, to Abuja to verify if her brother was indeed alive. She was shocked to find him alive indeed, and their meeting sparked a lot of emotions.

?They last met when she was 14 years old, and the way she grabbed him made everyone weep, including the police personnel present,? the lawyer said.

He said immediately the girl contacted her father to give him the update. He came the next day to see his son.

A woman, whose friend had been detained at Life Camp Police Station for disturbing public peace, tipped off this reporter about Nwaokporo?s situation.

She described him as a six-footer with a bullet wound and noted that he bore a resemblance to Kanu Nwankwo, the former Flying Eagles captain.

After thorough investigation, the story was published on 27 April 2008 in the Daily Trust newspaper. The then Inspector-General of Police promptly ordered that Nwaokporo be brought to the Force Headquarters.

On 8 May 2008, he was arraigned before Justice Yusuf Baba of the FCT High Court on charges of armed robbery. The charge sheet listed three other names unknown to him.

Nwaokporo pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on liberal terms. The judge also ordered that the case be given accelerated hearing.

The case was adjourned to 10 July 2008. However, on that day, despite having abandoned the treatment of his leg and spending N20,000 to bring himself and his father from Ebonyi State to Abuja, the police prosecutor failed to appear, and the supposed co-accused persons were absent as well.

His father, Peter Nwaokporo, expressed deep frustration that they had to suspend urgent treatment of his son?s festering wound, which he said needed proper attention from a bone healer.

While the criminal case was ongoing, Nwaokporo?s lawyer, Nnaemeka Ejiofor, filed a case for enforcement of fundamental human rights at the FCT High Court before Justice Dodo, seeking N50 million in compensation for the unlawful detention and neglect.

After hearing both sides, the judge ruled in favour of Nwaokporo and ordered the police to pay N5 million in compensation for the eight years the young man he spent in illegal detention.

The compensation money was collected from the police and given to Nwaokporo, who spent most of it on the treatment of his leg at an orthopaedic hospital in Kaduna.

The doctors, in the course of the surgery in the hospital, placed irons inside the leg to act as bones and he had to visit the place every month for dressing, which also cost a lot of money.

The lawyer, however, expressed disappointment with the amount awarded, saying it was grossly inadequate even for the medical treatment alone, let alone for his lost years and abandoned football career.

Ejiofor lamented Nwaokporo?s demise, saying he did everything within his power to ensure the young man had a fair trial. He recalled rushing to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to lobby a senior official to press the Force Headquarters to charge the suspect to court.

?I took up the case pro bono and reached out to the National Assembly members from his state, as well as the media, to amplify my voice,? he said.

Kelechi Chibuike, a close friend, said he often sat with Nwaokporo at the food garden to share a meal and chat about life.

?He still mourned the football career he never had. I truly believe that if he had been given the chance, he could have gone far ? he had the dribbling and striking skills to make it,? Chibuike said.?

Chibuike said immediately after his release from the police cell, Nwaokporo travelled to the village with his father and was not comfortable being a burden over there. That feeling, he recalled, made Nwaokporo relocate to Abuja 17 years ago to treat his leg in a better hospital.

Many innocent Nigerians languishing in police cells ? Activists

Human Rights lawyer, Adejoh J. Yusuf described the action of the police as unconstitutional and unheard off, adding that Nwaokporo?s fundamental human right was grossly infringed upon.

According to him, if Nwaokporo had viewed the damages claim of N5 million as inadequate immediately after judgment, his lawyer would have appealed against the ruling in the Appeal Court, so that the judgment was set aside pending the outcome of the case in the higher court.

?Since there was no appeal on the matter and the amount was rewarded and collected, the right has been forfeited,? he informed.

Momoh Muhammed, a human rights activist, called on the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Human Rights Commission and Legal Aid Councils to arrange a team of lawyers, whose duties will be for them to visit police stations across the country in order to check cells and assist inmates detained illegally.

He said that Nwaokporo must have accepted the N5 million as damages due to the condition he found himself in.

?He had just being released from a police cell after spending almost eight years over there and had a rotten, infested leg, which needed urgent medical attention,? he said.

According to him, anyone in his shoes would have hurriedly accepted such an offer.

The activist, however, called for a bill to also make the federal government accountable for such reckless actions of the police, so that they are sued to also pay damages to victims.

Dr. Gbenga Bamidele, the Convener/Executive Director of the Society for Journalism Enhancement Initiatives described the whole report as unbelievable.

?My conviction is that the judicial officer who presided over the case must have being misinformed. We are talking of somebody who was maltreated and no punitive measures taken on those that did that,? he reasoned.

He advised people to be careful and apply safety rules while travelling as well as the environments they reside. (Saturday Sun)

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