A Civil Engineer and native of Aji, Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North local government area of Enugu State, Mr. Egiji Atigwe has disclosed that some group of men have turned his community into a den for torture of innocent citizens.
Atigwe therefore asked the Nigeria Security agencies, the human rights commission, the civil Societies and the media to investigate his allegation, stating that he has video proves of his allegation.
He said that it was his disagreement with the alleged torture gang that operates as a vigilante group, and their eviction from his family property that made the group to turn around and asked innocent persons to frame him (Atigwe) up under duress and torture.
A media report based of a torture video had gone viral alleging that Atigwe was a gun rummer for armed robbers and kidnappers, sensationalizing a political dimension on Atigwe’s family other than the crime allegation.
But speaking to newsmen in Enugu, Atigwe, represented by his legal counsel, Chukwuemeka Abuguja, declared the story a false narrative intended for mischief and slander.
He said, “The local security operatives gathered themselves with some torturing equipment and forcefully entered Atigwe family property located at Aji Junction. They were catching people at random with the intention of torturing them and possibly to kill them there. Something similar happened in 2019.
“We saw that as an attempt to kill someone in that property and then start attacking the image of the family. People can’t just come and take over a family property and torture people there with clubs, machetes and guns even without our permission.
“On witnessing this, Egiji asked them out. Fortunately, we have everything on video. Their eviction was not done secretly. Just some weeks after we started noticing sinister moves to set Egiji up or to implicate him.
“Just recently we came across a viral video of one Emenike Egbuike, popularly known as Emzor. His hands were tied back and he was sweating profusely and was talking in a manner that suggested that he was under duress. He said that he was involved in a robbery and my client, Egiji Atigwe, was supplying guns to him.
“So I took my time and enquired from Ugochukwu Asanya because I heard his voice interrogating the boy. I was later told that the boy was in Igboeze North Police station. I requested for the boy and they brought him.
“I interrogated him and he said that he was in front of Aji High School when Ugochukwu Asanya and his team swooped in on him, started beating him from that point. He was torture from 6pm in the evening till 4am the next morning.
“You can see from the video that what they beat people with is logs of wood and not cane. He said that forced him to confess that he is an armed robber and then listed names of the people they want to indict. And they gave him two options, to indict them or he will be killed.
“He said they also made a bonfire and told him that it is either he implicates those persons or he dies in the fire. At that point he accepted to make the confessions to save his own life. If you see his body, you will see the scars of all the things they did to him.”
The lawyer said that the purpose of this whole thing is to defame the character of the Atigwe family.
He narrated that, “The next morning, the another person, Kosi Eya was arrested by the same security outfit who demanded that he mentions Atigwe’s name to corroborate the earlier story. But he refused.
He was able to say no because people were there and they couldn’t possibly kill him in full public glare.
“Till this moment, no exhibit has been recovered from any of these persons who were arrested. Neither has anyone come forward to say he has been kidnapped. At this moment, this case has no complaint.
“I also want to state that no one from the Atigwe family has approached the police to pervert justice. Since the suspects were transferred to anti-kidnapping, no member of the Atigwe family or myself have made any move to pervert justice. I believe investigations will reveal all those involved in this fake story.”
The President General of Aji autonomous Community, Slyverster Ayogu in a telephone interview confirmed that the vigilante group was actually ejected from the Atigwe’s property.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe could not respond to the inquiry made on him over the matter.
I was framed up, Ex-Deputy Speaker’s son cries out
A Civil Engineer and native of Aji, Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North local government area of Enugu State, Mr. Egiji Atigwe has disclosed that some group of men have turned his community into a den for torture of innocent citizens.
Atigwe therefore asked the Nigeria Security agencies, the human rights commission, the civil Societies and the media to investigate his allegation, stating that he has video proves of his allegation.
He said that it was his disagreement with the alleged torture gang that operates as a vigilante group, and their eviction from his family property that made the group to turn around and asked innocent persons to frame him (Atigwe) up under duress and torture.
A media report based of a torture video had gone viral alleging that Atigwe was a gun rummer for armed robbers and kidnappers, sensationalizing a political dimension on Atigwe’s family other than the crime allegation.
But speaking to newsmen in Enugu, Atigwe, represented by his legal counsel, Chukwuemeka Abuguja, declared the story a false narrative intended for mischief and slander.
He said, “The local security operatives gathered themselves with some torturing equipment and forcefully entered Atigwe family property located at Aji Junction. They were catching people at random with the intention of torturing them and possibly to kill them there. Something similar happened in 2019.
“We saw that as an attempt to kill someone in that property and then start attacking the image of the family. People can’t just come and take over a family property and torture people there with clubs, machetes and guns even without our permission.
“On witnessing this, Egiji asked them out. Fortunately, we have everything on video. Their eviction was not done secretly. Just some weeks after we started noticing sinister moves to set Egiji up or to implicate him.
“Just recently we came across a viral video of one Emenike Egbuike, popularly known as Emzor. His hands were tied back and he was sweating profusely and was talking in a manner that suggested that he was under duress. He said that he was involved in a robbery and my client, Egiji Atigwe, was supplying guns to him.
“So I took my time and enquired from Ugochukwu Asanya because I heard his voice interrogating the boy. I was later told that the boy was in Igboeze North Police station. I requested for the boy and they brought him.
“I interrogated him and he said that he was in front of Aji High School when Ugochukwu Asanya and his team swooped in on him, started beating him from that point. He was torture from 6pm in the evening till 4am the next morning.
“You can see from the video that what they beat people with is logs of wood and not cane. He said that forced him to confess that he is an armed robber and then listed names of the people they want to indict. And they gave him two options, to indict them or he will be killed.
“He said they also made a bonfire and told him that it is either he implicates those persons or he dies in the fire. At that point he accepted to make the confessions to save his own life. If you see his body, you will see the scars of all the things they did to him.”
The lawyer said that the purpose of this whole thing is to defame the character of the Atigwe family.
He narrated that, “The next morning, the another person, Kosi Eya was arrested by the same security outfit who demanded that he mentions Atigwe’s name to corroborate the earlier story. But he refused.
He was able to say no because people were there and they couldn’t possibly kill him in full public glare.
“Till this moment, no exhibit has been recovered from any of these persons who were arrested. Neither has anyone come forward to say he has been kidnapped. At this moment, this case has no complaint.
“I also want to state that no one from the Atigwe family has approached the police to pervert justice. Since the suspects were transferred to anti-kidnapping, no member of the Atigwe family or myself have made any move to pervert justice. I believe investigations will reveal all those involved in this fake story.”
The President General of Aji autonomous Community, Slyverster Ayogu in a telephone interview confirmed that the vigilante group was actually ejected from the Atigwe’s property.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe could not respond to the inquiry made on him over the matter.
