DPO allegedly assaults, strips Mercy naked; arrests her widowed mom

A 20-year-old girl, Mercy Okoro, has accused the Divisional Police Officer in Ekpan, DeltaState, SP Asanayin Ibok, of stripping her naked over a disagreement with a tenant.

Mercy also accused Ibok of unlawful arrest of her widowed mother, Lucy Okoro, and her younger sister at about 3:00 p.m on Friday, January 10, 2019.

She said a tenant, Andrew Obas, who had refused to pay his three months rent invited the Police to their home.

The lady, who spoke in pidgin, added that, “We gave him four months which elapsed this January but he refused to pay. We asked him to pack out instead, he brought armed Policemen. .

They shot sporadically, came to our house and carried my sister, dragged her legs and kicked her. I held the Policeman that they should leave my sister alone. The DPO stripped me naked. He dragged my wrapper on my neck and kicked my buttocks.

They bundled and took us to the Police Station. At the police station, the Policewoman at the counter pepper-sprayed me. I thought I was already blind.

At night, the DPO and some men came and abused me. They said, ‘see me as I be. Who go marry me? I nor even get flesh. I dry finish. No man go see me wey want marry me. Any man wey marry me naim be say he sorry for am.”

Mercy appealed to the government and human rights organizations in the country as well as the International Community to take the matter up against the DPO in the interest of justice, fairness and equity.

Mrs Lucy Okoro, a widow and mother of Mercy who was also arrested by the Police said, “I want the government to put an end to this problem of harassment with the tenants because they have been oppressing me.

After owing me 3months, he said he will not pay and he boasted that he will give me problems. That’s why I said he should pack with the money and go. I went to the Court and obtained a month quit notice and gave him. .

After that, I went back to the Court, obtained a seven days notice which I also gave him which elapsed on Friday, January 10.”