Witness Narrates How Native Doctor Went Missing After Police Arrest In Abia

A traditional doctor, Uchechi Agwu Kalu was been declared missing by his family after he was apprehended by police men last year.

At a sitting of the Abia State panel of Inquiry into Police brutality sitting in Umuahia, a witness Elizabeth Agwu Kanu, narrated how her elder brother, a native doctor, was last seen after he was arrested by the police.

The witness was called in the case file no.JUD/AB/23/2020, between Udeze Agwu Kalu, Uchechi Agwu Kalu, Emeka Obasi , Ifunanya Obasi and Commissioner of police Abia State, DPO Azuka police station Ogbor Hill Aba, Officer Edet, Officer Ikechukwu Egbulom and Officer Yellow.

Kanu stated that Uche was last seen at Azuka police station on 11th August, 2020.

According to her, ” I was at the shop where I am learning tailoring on that day, my eldest brother Udeze called me on phone saying he was called on phone that I should go to Azuka police station to see my brother.

“I closed from work and went to the police station. When I got there, i met a police woman, who asked me who I was looking for, and I said my elder brother Uchechi Agwu Kalu.

“She searched the book, and asked me if my brother is a doctor, and I said yes. The police woman asked me to bring tissue paper, Izal,and toilet soap, but that if I don’t have it I could bring N1000.

“I gave her N1000 because I didn’t have those items she mentioned. She brought my brother out, I saw him, he was not wearing clothes, he was wearing just a pair of boxer. Then a police man came out and started scolding the police woman. He told the woman that she will get into trouble one day because of money, he asked the woman if she was the one who locked my brother up.

“The policeman forcefully pushed back my brother to the cell, collected the money from the woman, gave me back but I refused to take back the money. I asked him why he was returning the money since I’d seen the person I gave the money in respect of. The police man said he won’t release my brother, he threw the money at me, he said he would lock me up too if I talk more and asked me to home.

” I picked the money and left. I called my eldest brother and narrated everything to him. My brother asked me to go that he would come the following day”.

When asked by the defending counsel FC Okafor, if they had reported the matter to any police station, Elizabeth said they had reported but could not mention names of stations the case was reported to as it was her eldest brother handling the case.

The plaintiff counsel, Kanu Francis, who held brief for Ndukwe Ifeanyi requested the court to fix a new date for him to present another witness.

The case was adjourned to February 23, 2021.