Abuja SARS Panel: Woman ‘Unlawfully’ Detained By Police ‘Saw Her Period’ But They Didn’t Give Her Pad

 An Abuja resident, Jane Gana, on Thursday, told the Independent Investigative Panel (IIP) on police alleged human rights violations sitting in Abuja , that while being unlawfully detained,the police allowed her to sit in her blood during menstruation.

Jane, who was accompanied by her mother to the panel ( at National Human Rights Commission building) had claimed she was arrested after she went to the police station to report someone who stole from her, saying she suffered ” arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” from the police.

The Respondents in her petition are : Mohammed (IPO) Asokoro Police Station, Superintendent of Police(SP), Kene Amaobi, SP Danjuma, Commissioner of Police FCT, and the Inspector General of Police.

She said she had reported one Mr. Victor Ejiofor to the police station for stealing her belongings but was shocked when men of the FCT police command later came to her house in company of Ejiofor and took her to the station.

When she asked the police what her offense was, they told her she had threatened the life of Ejiofor.

She said she was maltreated at the Asokoro police station where they detained her, stressing that when her monthly period came, the police did not help her.

Her words: “Danjuma and Mohammed said they will detain me at Asokoro police station. In the detention form, they said I should not receive phone calls or visitors.

“I was there for 10 days, the president of the detention beat me up and tortured me.

“My mother had someone to bail me but they refused; my period started, I was messed up, I was smelling and had fever.”

But during cross-examination, counsel for the respondents, Fidelis Ogboegbe, prayed the panel to bring the officers to come and defend themselves.

A member of the panel chaired by Justice Suleiman Galadima( retd) asked Mr. Fidelis what the police was expected to do when a female detainee was menstruating or seeing her period.

Fidelis responded, saying “my Lords, what I can say is that in such issues, they provide sanitary pads to the detainees.”

 Ms Gana disclosed that it was the Magistrate court 5 at Zone 6 where they had dragged her, that ordered the police to release her.

Justice Galadima adjourned to 2 March, 2021, for “respondents to open their defence.”