John, a native of Iuubara community in Bori Ogoni, was born and raised in Panya Community, Agbeta Ebubu, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
ARivers State resident and youths leader, Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John, has been detained at a Nigerian military facility in Zamfara State for over five years without trial, SaharaReporters has learnt.
John, a native of Iuubara community in Bori Ogoni, was born and raised in Panya Community, Agbeta Ebubu, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He was allegedly framed up for kidnapping and cultism by a police officer identified as Godwin Nwiko, an Assistant Superintendent of Police as of then.
Other co-conspirators include Africa Nwiko, Lekara Mbara, Kingsley Ifaade and Barisi Piadogo, who were John's political opponents.
John's ordeal, SaharaReporters learnt, began in 2015 when he was first arrested and detained multiple times on various allegations made against him by the same police officer and his cohorts.
Despite securing illegal court orders for his arrest and detention on trumped-up charges, on various time between 2015 and 2019, no evidence has ever been presented against him.
John stated in a memo he wrote and made available to SaharaReporters on Saturday that he was finally arrested by soldiers and incarcerated in the Nigerian military facility in faraway Zamfara State.
"I have suffered a lot in the hands of these persons and almost lost my life in the process of some of the unlawful arrests, simply because I Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John was elected the Youth President of Panya Community," John stated in a memo to the public.
The father of three lamented that the primary aim of his tormentors was to frustrate him into committing suicide or probably with allegations of kidnapping and violent cult activities, he would be extrajudicially killed by trigger-happy police officers.
"They want me to commit suicide. I need thorough investigation, adequate justice, because my life and that of my family is ruined. My personality and character has been defamed. I need justice," John appealed.
John is calling for a thorough and unbiased investigation into his case, while appealing to the communities that know him to come and testify to his innocence.
"Agbeta I Community, Agbeta II Community, and Ogale Eleme in general should come and testify if I am actually what Kingsley Ifaade, and Lekara Mbara have levelled against me," he said.
The three-page memo read: "I am an adult patriotic citizen of Nigeria, married with three children. My wife's name is Peace ThankGod Dumbari John, a native of Bera in Gokana, who was also born in Panya Community Agbeta Ebubu Eleme Local Government.
"I Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John, hereby write to: Agbeta I, Agbeta II, and Ogale in general including Oyigbo Local Government, because these are the Communities that knew me very well from my Youth until now that I have become an adult, to come and testify. Because from the year 2015, I have suffered molestation and intimidation from a particular group of persons in the Community where I was born (Panya, Agbeta Ebubu Eleme Local Government).
"These group of persons have taken me through various police detention cell, such as: Eleme Divisional Police Station, State C.I.D Port Harcourt, State C.I.B Port Harcourt, Anti-Kidnapped Mini-Okoro Port Harcourt, Anti-Cultism Port Harcourt, Civil Defence Water Line Port Harcourt, Oyigbo Divisional Police Station and Central Police Station (C.P.S) Port Harcourt including Invocation of juju in Ogoni. All these molestation and intimidation took place from the year 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 25th of November, 2019. These groups of persons always come up every year to lock me up in police custody and given me criminal charges such as a kidnapper, armed robber, cultist and rapist, to which they have not for once provided an evidence to the police or in any court of law but would frame me up. They used the police and soldiers to intimidate and arrest me every year and my properties confiscated unlawfully.
"I have suffered a lot in the hands of these persons and almost lost my life in the process of some of the unlawful arrests, simply because, I Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John was elected the Youth President of Panya Community and was installed and coronated by the paramount ruler of Agbeta Ebubu: HRH Emere Columbus O. Okazu (JP), High Chief Yaya Ambrose, Chief Friday Okola and others.
"I Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John took over leadership from Late Nbari Nna. After the death of the Late Chief, Gaaluwa Nwiko who was also installed and coronated by His Royal Highness Emere Columbus O. Okazu (JP). Godwin Nwiko and Africa Nwiko took over the leadership of Panya Community and took Lekara Mbara, Kingsley Ifaade and Barisi Piadogo as members of the Chief Council Panya Community.
"Again on the 6th of September, 2019 they arrested me using the police from Oyigbo, with an instruction for them to fire me that I kidnapped a member of the Council by name Kingsley Ifaade, but as God may have it, I was not shot but handed over to Anti-cultism, town Port Harcourt as a kidnapper, cultist and an armed robber. I was there at anti-cultism for three weeks with hard labour and torturing, forcing me to accept the charges and I told them to take me to court but they refused.
"My Bishop and the elders of my church having seen the torturing transferred the case to Oyigbo for thorough investigation. Kingsley Ifaade who alleged that I kidnapped him and Lekara Mbara who claimed to witness the incident were invited but they refused to show up and ran away for three months.
"All of a sudden, on the 25th of November, 2019 the same Kingsley Ifaade and Lekara Mbara who had been on exile for three months came with soldiers, the crocodile smile with a detention order from Magistrate Court 7 Port Harcourt that I should be arrested.
"On seeing the Detention Order, with brutal torturing by the soldiers, I was handed over to the Eleme Police and the next day, they picked a road side patrol from the road and we headed to Magistrate Court 7 but on getting to the Court, they diverted and took me to C.P.S where I met with Godwin Nwiko and realised that he worked there as the A.S.P. It was Godwin Nwiko who wrote my detention Order and ordered his boys to lock me up. Instead of being taking to Court, I was abandoned at C.P.S for three weeks and some days.
"In all of these that, I Comrade ThankGod Dumbari John have been through, I am not a cultist, I am not an armed robber. I am not a kidnapper. I did not jump bail, neither did I resist arrest in any of these occasion. I did not run away from any of the detention."
He added, "They want me to commit suicide. I need thorough investigation, adequate justice, because my life and that of my family is ruined. My personality and character has been defamed. I need justice,"
He appealed, consoling himself with the words of Isaiah 5:20: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
John's case highlights the need for urgent reform in the country's law enforcement and justice systems.
His five-year detention without trial is a stark reminder of the dangers of abuse of power and the importance of upholding the rule of law.
No comments:
Post a Comment