The incident which happened on February 11, 2022, around 6:pm, according to eyewitnesses, was as a result of the female officer, Helen Onoja wanting to answer the call of a nature, an act that didn’t go well with her police boss and his orderly.
According to Sahara Reporters, a policeman who witnessed the incident told said that the female sergeant was beaten publicly by Okenla and his orderly, identified as Emma Oji in front of the area command office.
Helen’s pictures obtained by SaharaReporters showed scars from the manhandling by the police officers.
“He is known for always intimidating junior officers because he is a senior officer. The lady in question wasn’t even working under him. She works in another division,” an officer said.
The Area Commander and his orderly, Sergeant Emma Oji battered, kicked, punched and dragged her on the dusty roadside of Orthopedic junction, Abakiliki expressway here in Enugu as if she was a criminal.
“Sadly, this woman was wearing police uniform when an officer who should maintain the law was physically abusing her in public.”
On what transpired between the duo, the officer serving directly under Okenla said, “As I said earlier, she’s not working with us here but I heard she was posted from her division to Orthopedic junction as a traffic controller. After some hours on duty and there was no more traffic congestion, she felt she needed to use the ladies.
“As she was going into our office which is the Area Command to answer the call of nature, our ‘Oga’ (boss), ACP Okenla saw her and ordered her to go back to her traffic point despite the officer explaining to him that she wanted to use the toilet.
“I was there, the woman immediately obeyed him and returned to the junction without using the toilet. While back on her duty post, ACP Okenla sent Cpl Daniel Onyia to go and call her for him.
“On her way back to our office, ACP Okenla blocked her with his orderly at the gate and started brutalising her; we were shocked. They started kicking this woman I learnt is a nursing mother with shoes. She was really beaten and dragged on the dusty side of the road like a common criminal in a police uniform in public for no justifiable reason.
“She was subsequently bundled inside a police cell with injuries. The Area Commander threatened that he would treat her like a common criminal and nothing would happen. I’m not surprised by his statement though because he is known for assaulting those of us working directly under him.
“The woman was detained overnight and released around 10 am the following day. And as if that was not enough for a nursing mother, this man who doesn’t have the fear of God at all followed the lady up with disciplinary action. I heard him vowing to ruin her career.
“He said and I quote: ‘I will deal with you whether you like it or not, I think you want to become an Inspector, let me see how you will wear the rank’. This is a mother of four children I learnt has been using her little salary to take care of her family.
“Till now, we don’t know what this policewoman did to ACP Okenla. Age-wise, they aren’t mates. In terms of ranks, the difference is clear, so why would he just punish an innocent officer for an unknown reason? The police authorities should look at this injustice, even those of us working under Okenla are afraid of what will happen to us soon.”
Helen, however, declined to speak with SaharaReporters when contacted.
“Where did you get my number from? I don’t have anything to say on the issue. As a police officer, there is protocol and I’m not ready to breach that,” she said
