DPO accused of stripping sisters naked and arresting their widowed mother

SP Asanayin Ibok, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ekpan Police Division in Uvwie council area of Delta State has been accused of stripping two sisters naked after being invited to a landlord/tenancy dispute in Warri. 

The sisters identified as 28-year-old Mercy and 19-year-old Lucy Okoro, alleged that their widowed mother Mrs. Lucy Okoro was also arrested after Ibok was invited over by a tenant Andrew Obas, who they confronted and issued a quit notice for owing their family three months rent. 

Recounting how the incident occurred, Mercy said; 

“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, dragging her on the floor and kicking her. I held the Policeman asking him to let my sister go. But the Policeman (DPO) stripped me naked. He pulled the wrapper from my neck, dragged me on the floor and kicked my buttocks.

“They bundled my sister and I into their patrol van and took us to the Police Station. I never knew it was the DPO at first. He asked if we were the people causing ‘wahala’? So I asked my mother to join us in the cell. That was when he slapped me until I fell on the ground and fainted

“The Policewoman at the counter sprayed teargas into my eyes. I thought I was already blind. At night, he (DPO) and some men came and rained abuses on me.”

National Chairman of Human Rights Defenders Organization, Sir. Casely Omon-Irabor (Esq.) confirmed that they’ve been contacted over the incident which occurred on Friday January 10. 

He said; 

“We sent two of our lawyers to go and find out and we discovered that the Police stripped the first daughter of the widow naked. Our lawyers tried to intervene but they didn’t listen to him.

“It was when I told him that I have him on photographs and video that he pushed for settlement.”

Ibok who denied the incident, claimed he was not around when it occurred. Also commenting on the incident, Delta State Commissioner of Police Mr. Hafiz Inuwa insisted that the allegation was a big lie. 

He said; 

“As I am speaking with you, this is the second time a journalist is calling me. He wanted to reach me because of what one human rights person alleged.

“But when he could not get me, he just made his enquiry and discovered that it is not even true because the DPO even told him that he was not there at the station when the matter was reported.

“Some of these things, what you need to do is that you first contact the person that the allegation was made against. As I am talking to you now, we did not record anything like this.”