The wife of businessman Mr. Tochukwu Nzekwe, Mrs. Nkoli Nzekwe, has shared a shocking account of how her husband was kidnapped and falsely arraigned in court in connection with an incident involving a truck driver from his company.
According to Mrs. Nzekwe, the situation began when Okechukwu Ofor, a truck driver working for her husband’s estate company, Toshel Nig, Ltd, was brutally beaten by three policemen attached to a construction firm involved in road rehabilitation in Enugu State. The driver was accused of damaging an asphalted road under construction.
She alleged that the police officers assaulted Ofor to the point of unconsciousness, then abandoned him at the Independence Layout Police Station. Fortunately, some compassionate officers later took him to a police clinic at the State Police headquarters, where medical personnel worked tirelessly to save his life.
Ofor claimed that the beating he endured was ordered by the managing director of the construction firm after he was accused of damaging the road. He described the brutality he suffered, stating, “The policemen used the butt of their gun and muzzle to hit me on the head, waist, knee joints, and all over my body. When they felt I might not survive, they carried me and dumped me at the police station.” He credited other officers with saving his life, saying, “It was another good officer that took me to the police clinic. Save for the policemen who brought me there, I don’t think I would have been alive till today.”
As the case unfolded, Mr. Tochukwu Nzekwe petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, seeking justice for Ofor and holding the responsible parties accountable. However, instead of justice, the situation took a dramatic turn when Nzekwe himself was reportedly kidnapped and detained by individuals suspected to be policemen. He was subsequently arraigned in court and ordered to be remanded in prison custody.
In her statement, Mrs. Nkoli Nzekwe expressed her disbelief and frustration, stating, “My husband was not the one that drove the truck. He only cried out against the brutal and unrestrained attack on the driver through a petition, only for him to be kidnapped, detained, and arraigned by proxy by the Commissioner of Police in Enugu.”
The incident has raised serious concerns regarding the conduct of law enforcement in Enugu State, with calls for accountability and justice for the victims involved.