*Confiscates her N1, 000 over purported traffic violation.
A nursing mother, Esther Obiechina,has narrated how some Naval personnel at Uga junction, in Onitsha, Anambra State commercial forced her to climb the pedestrian bridge at Uga Junction for about 30 times.
Obiechina who spoke at a hospital, where she is recuperating said that the Naval Personnel also confiscated her N1000.00, being her transport fare back to her village in Orsamala, Ogbaru Local Government of the state and money to buy pap for her new baby.
The young lady said her problem started when she crossed the Express Road from the Bridgehead market.
Two Naval personnel, she said, accosted her, asked her to give them N5, 000.00 to leave her but she told them that she doesn’t have such amount.
They then asked her to drop her handset and the N1,000.00 with them and climb the pedestrian bridge 30 times on Sunday, May 2022.
Unfortunately, when she finished the corporal punishment, she could not regain herself again as her entire system was disorganised and she fainted.
” Infact, I don’t know what was happening to me again. My entire body system started collapsing. In the next few minutes I passed ou,
Even when she fainted, the Naval personnel were not bothered, rather they were mocking her, saying that after pretending she would stand up.
“I heard them when I started regaining consciousness. It was one of them who told them to stop mocking me that I was not pretending. He later returned my hand set without my one thousand naira” she narrated.
Unfortunately, when she regained consciousness,she demanded for the N1,000 but they told her that the officer holding her money had left.
At that juncture, she was stranded as she has no other money and she alerted her boss over her plight, who encouraged her to manage to come to the office so that he would give her back some money for her transport fair.
But when she got to the office she fainted again and she was rushed to St Cyprain Hospital, along Porthacourt Road, Fegge, Onitsha where she is currently recuperating.
Efforts to get the Commanding Officer, Odekpe Naval Post, Navy Commander Sani Abdurayi, failed as the calls to his mobile telephone did not connect.
He did not also respond to texts sent to him over the development.
However, Human Rights Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation (HURIDE) in a reaction called for immediate and total overhaul of the Iyiowa Odekpe Naval Post due to their atrocities against the citizens they suppose to protect
HURIDE Executive Director, Dede Uzor A Uzor, said there have been series of cases of abuse of citizens’ rights by the Naval Personnel at Uga Junction.
“He said in the case of lady Obiechina who is a nursing mother, it was totally wrong and out of the rule of engagement of the military to inflict such harsh corporal punishment on an ordinary civilian, let alone a woman and a nursing mother for that matter.
“He called on the leadership of NIgerian Navy to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous rights abuse to refund the one thousand naira they confiscated from lady Obiechina as well as make them face severe disciplinary measure.
“There are glaring incidences of official corruption, extortion, intimidation and harsh human rights abuses by the Naval officers, immediately its 6.30pm,they would mount illegal roadblocks closing down the trunk at Onitsha/Asaba express high ways causing excruciating pains to the motorists, extorting money with impunit. What has Naval officers get to do with traffic control?
“The Commander, Iyiowa Odekpe Naval officer should be removed to be sent to refresher causes to enable him be intune with democratic ideals. Dede Uzor advised.
