Some female lawyers based in Ekiti State have asked the Nigeria Police to prefer

Some female lawyers based in Ekiti State have asked the Nigeria Police to prefer criminal charges against the four policemen who allegedly beat a final year student of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Miss Abigail Ige, to coma.

The lawyers, who are coordinators of different human rights groups, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, said it was more painful that two policewomen were involved in the alleged assault.

In a statement by the Chairperson of Federation of International Women Lawyers in Ekiti State, Mrs. Toyin Ajibulu, Ronke Ige of New Initiative For Social Development, Oluwaseyi Ojo of Directorate for Citizens‘ Rights and Olajumoke Olute, the lawyers demanded N10m as compensation for the victim.


The statement read, “We demand a written apology by the Ekiti State Police Command to our client (Abigail Ige) for the violation of her fundamental right, which should be published in two widely read national newspapers.


“The immediate investigation of the crime of grievous assault occasioning harm to Abigail and preferment of criminal charges against all the police officers involved.


“The immediate payment of N10m to Abigail by the police as compensation for humiliation, degradation, disgrace and inconvenience suffered in hands of the officers and for medical expenses incurred so far by her.”


They stated that the actions of the police officers on Ige, a final year student of Microbiology, amounted to violation of her fundamental right to dignity of human person pursuant to Section 34(1)(a), 1999 Constitution.


The groups said they were committed to seeing that justice was done in the matter.


Ige was accosted at Fayose Market in Ado-Ekiti where she had gone to buy some fingerlings for her final year project by a policeman who wanted to search her handbag.


She was reported to have asked the policeman to conduct the search on the spot but the policeman insisted on taking the bag to the police station. The policeman was said to have snatched the bag and took it to the police station where Ige was allegedly beaten to coma. She was later revived at the University Teaching Hospital Ado-Ekiti.