A motorist, Marvelous Chukwuma, has alleged that some traffic wardens and officers of the Nigerian Air Force beat him up in Imo State for taking pictures on Orji Road, Owerri in Imo State.

Reports say that Chukwuma was beaten up with cables which left visible marks on his back for taking photos of an alleged traffic offence they accused him of.

According to the Sunday Punch, the motorist said he was going to Rockview Hotel on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020 around 2.45 pm when four traffic wardens accosted him at a junction that led to the hotel and accused him of not swithcing on his car’s indicator light, to indicate he intended to turn at the junction.

He said he made futile efforts to explain to the traffic wardens that the indicator light was on, but they disagreed and insisted he should follow them to their station.

At that point, Chukwuma said he picked up his phone to take photos of the position of his car with the indicator light on, adding that he was snapping the shots when the officials pounced on him.

He narrated,

I wanted to visit a friend around the hotel that day. On getting to the Rockview Hotel Roundabout from Orji Road, I made to turn at the junction to link the hotel. Some traffic wardens jumped in front of my car and said I didn’t put on the indicator.

I brought out my phone to take pictures and video of the scene. As I started the recording, three of them pounced on me and wanted to seize my phone but I didn’t release it. One of them hit me with a stone. The fourth official was inside my car.

The 29-year-old man further recalled that the traffic wardens held him and invited some nearby officers from the Nigerian Air Force who arrived in a van with the inscription, “Quick Response Squad, 112, Air Force.”

He explained how the six military men beat him up with cables and drove off immediately afterwards, and left him in pains.

I was brutalised by the airmen. They flogged me with cables. They were in camouflage but they did not have name tags. Quick Response Squad, 112, Airforce was written on the van they brought.

A relation of mine who was passing along the road saw them beating me and he intervened. They beat him too,

he added.

The Imo State Police Spokesperson, SP Ikeokwu Orlando, responded to a text message sent to his mobile phone number on the incident by saying the victim should see him.

Orlando replied via SMS:

Let him see me.

The Nigeria Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, denied that any Air Force official was involved in the assault.

He said,

I have got in touch with our unit in Owerri and there is no such a report. It is extremely spurious. Why would Air force officials beat somebody for traffic officials? It does not make any sense whatsoever.

Later on, Daramola requested that the victim in company of a Punch reporter in Owerri should visit the NAF base in the state capital for proper verification, noting that an identification parade could be done, if deemed necessary.

Let the reporter go with the victim to lay his complaints. Nigerian Air Force has zero tolerance for this (indiscipline),

he added.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.