Members of the Nigerian Civil Protection and Security Corps of the Federal School for Girls in Owerri brutally attacked Chidiebube Okeoma, the correspondent for the PUNCH newspaper in Imo, arrested him and took him to their headquarters on Monday.
He, an agent of the Eastern Security Network, the militant arm of the Independent People of Biafra. While one of the NSCDC agents hit him with the butt of his rifle, the other hit him in the left eye and broke one of his smartphones.
The journalist was released after being questioned by a senior command center officer. Okeoma was later treated at the Chapel Group Hospital in Ikenegbu Owerri after losing a lot of blood.
The journalist said, while sharing his ordeal, “We went to the FGGC in Owerri to meet with the school principal over a viral video of a senior high school student harassing a first year student. At the door, the security guards (NSCDC officers) stopped us and when asked, they said the director wasn’t there. “I asked them to take us to the Vice President and they said he was not in the field. I asked her to take me to the next commando; They asked me to come back next week, I told them it was urgent and that’s when they started harassing me.
“Afterwards, two armed NSCDC officers emerged and started beating me. One of them hit me with the butt of his rifle and my head was shattered. While I was in a pool of blood, they dragged me barefoot to their headquarters like a vulgar criminal. As I was dragged to their headquarters, one of the officers said I had come to kidnap the students. He identified me as a member of the Eastern Security Networku.
I went to the Shall Camp Police Division to make a statement. The reporter, who noted that one of the officers threatened to kill him, said he reported the case to a police station in the area. However, state police commissioner Rabiu Hussaini, who sympathized with our correspondent, said only the NSCDC can right the wrong.
He urged Okeoma to report to the agency’s closest command.
