Nigeria police 'kidnap' witness
Armed police officers in Nigeria dragged away a man from outside a court
after he testified that he had been tortured into making a statement.
Oni Adeyemi was to be the star witness in the trial of a local politician
accused of killing a colleague.
But in the witness box he said the police had beaten him until he agreed to
testify their suspect was guilty.
Dozens of police swooped on Mr Adeyemi outside the court and shot in the air
to scatter people gathered outside.
The witness - who worked as an adviser for the local council in Kwali, a
village near the capital - has not been seen since.
A spokesman for the police told the BBC he could not immediately comment on
the case.
'Bag of cash'
Eyewitnesses told the BBC the scene on Monday outside court in Gudu, near
Abuja, was "pandemonium" with dozens of police officers trying to get Mr
Adeyemi.
" None of the human rights people were armed, none of the
lawyers were armed, so the police had their way "
Journalist Sunday Ejike Benjamin
"The police blocked the way out with their car and they fell on the vehicle,
dragging the man out," said journalist Sunday Ejike Benjamin from the
national Daily Trust newspaper.
"There was a mad struggle, he grabbed his lawyer to prevent them taking him,
but he was dragged away holding the gown and wig."
Mr Adeyemi was testifying in the trial of Saidu Ashara, the former
vice-chairman of Kwali council, accused by police of murdering the local
council chairman Samuel Gwamna in January last year.
But when Mr Adeyemi took the witness stand last week - after reciting a
passage from the Bible calling on Christians not to bear false witness - he
said police had held him down and beat him for 31 days until he agreed to
sign a statement saying that Mr Ashara had murdered his boss.
He alleged that the police broke his finger on Christmas Eve when he
initially refused to participate in a press conference where he said that Mr
Ashara was guilty.
In court on Monday he also said that prosecution lawyers offered him a bag
full of cash in return for his testimony.
The prosecuting lawyer told the BBC he was not available for comment.
Safety
Mr Gwamna was gunned down as he left the local government offices.
Mr Adeyemi told the court he had no knowledge of who was behind the crime
and police had burst through his door in November, almost a year later, and
arrested him and his family.
He has been in prison custody for the four months preceding the trial.
After hearing Mr Adeyemi's testimony last week Judge Abubakar Talba ordered
he be turned over to the custody of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission for
his safety.
"None of the human rights people were armed, none of the lawyers were armed,
so the police had their way," said Mr Benjamin.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/africa/7894642.stm

Published: 2009/02/17 14:58:05 GMT

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