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Men of the F-Division Police Station of the Kwara State Police Command have been accused of brutalising a Liberian international student of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Theophilus Blamoh, in Oke-Odo, in the Ilorin area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the 200 level student of Performing Arts, University of Ilorin, alongside his colleagues, were on their way to buy some food items when the policemen accosted them and ordered them to enter their patrol vehicle.
Blamoh, who spoke to our correspondent on Wednesday, said after entering the vehicle, the policemen collected their phones and started checking for incriminating evidence but to no avail.
The international student said they were in the vehicle when one of the policemen allegedly punched his face, stomach and limbs, adding that he became weak during the assault.
He said, “When the policemen did not find any incriminating evidence on our phone, they started asking why we are not doing ‘yahoo yahoo.’ They spoke in Yoruba language and I didn’t understand but kept pleading with my colleague to keep quiet.
“All of a sudden, one of the policemen, who became annoyed, started punching me but I blocked my face. Then, he punched my stomach and limbs. When the beating was too much, my friend had to inform them that I am an international student from Liberia.
“It was at that point that they calmed down, took us to the police station and locked us up in the cell. After realising that I was becoming very weak, they brought me out of the cell, drove me home and dumped me at the front of the house.”
Blamoh said despite informing the policemen that he had become numb due to the assault, the policemen abandoned him, adding that he collapsed and woke up in the hospital.
“My belongings are still there, they just released my friend this afternoon. I’m thankful I didn’t lose my life,” he said.
Blamoh’s caretaker, Chibest Udokaogu, said he saw the policemen dumping the undergraduate at the front of the house, adding that after he collapsed, he rushed him to the Ayobami Clinic and Maternity Hospital, Tanke, Oke-Odo.
He said, “The policemen dropped him on the cover of the soak away. I saw them while peeping through my window and rushed out to call his name but Blamoh did not respond.
“The police were standing there as I rushed him to the hospital. They did nothing. When I got to the hospital, I begged for his life to be saved. I thank God he didn’t die in my hands.”
The nurse on duty at the hospital, who does not want to be mentioned over fears of losing her job, said the Liberian was unconscious when the caretaker brought him to the “He is still recovering but feels pain in his limbs and back. We’re treating him and hope that he gets better soon enough,” the nurse said.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, said the policemen raided criminal hideouts and arrested some suspects in the area.
“This morning, we heard that somebody slumped and we are currently investigating that allegation,” he said.
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