A lecturer in the Department of Business Management, University of Calabar, Mr. Okon Effiong Ekpenyong, has lost four of his teeth following an act of brutality allegedly meted to him by personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Calabar over a minor traffic infringement.
Ekpenyong who is 45 years old while narrating his ordeal in Calabar on Thursday told journalists that his car developed a minor fault along Bassey Oqua Street in Calabar, near the NIS headquarters, where he stopped to fix the problem.
He said after fixing the problem , he was about leaving when the officials accosted and assaulted him on the excuse that he made a U-turn at an unauthorised point.
“After the car developed fault, I called some people to help push it off the road and I immediately went home to get my two sons to buy fuel on a jerry can because I suspected it might be petrol since the gauge was faulty.
“I tried to start the car after refuelling but it did not start. So, we had to push it down the sloppy Bassey Oqua Street which is close to the NIS residential quarters and that was when it started.
“Immediately it started, two NIS officials came out and flagged me down, I obeyed. They said I had just made a U-turn at an unauthorised point and they concluded that I am a Boko Haram suspect and that they would not waste time in dealing with me.
“Immediately, other officials, not less than 10 of them joined, and they forced me out and started beating me with the gun butts and other weapons. I passed out in the process,” Ekpenyong lamented.
The lecturer said he is a neighbour of the immigration in Calabar having resided for 10years at No.2 Ekong Bassey Close, a walking distance from the NIS headquarters.
Ekpenyong said the incident happened at about 5pm on May 6, this year in the presence of two of his sons that he called to repair the vehicle.
He said aside from losing his teeth, he lost N50 which was in his pocket when he was violently attacked by the immigration personnel.
The lecturers said before he became unconscious, he was able to identify four of his attackers, among them a deputy comptroller, a chief superintendent and a male and female junior ranking immigration personnel.
Ekpenyong said he was also detained in a cell by the immigration officials for about 45 minutes, before a senior NIS official who identified himself as the Provost pleaded with him and released him to go and take care of himself.
The lecturer said he immediately went of the Airport division of the Nigeria Police in Calabar to report the case from where he was taken to the Police Clinic for medical attention.
A report which was issued by an investigating police officer, Edwin Jenuwa, confirmed that Ekpenyong was taken to the clinic at about 6pm with fresh blood stains after suffering assault and grievous harm.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Hogan Bassey, confirmed the incident.
Bassey said the matter is under investigation by the police.
But, it was gathered, from the police headquarters, that the immigration officials have yet to honour the invitation of the police on the matter.