By Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
A 62-year-old petitioner, Apostle Anthony Olaoluwa Kusimo who appeared before the Ogun State Judicial Panel of Investigation set up to receive and investigate complaints of victims on Police Brutality, Human Rights Abuses and Extra Judicial Killings by security operatives within the State has narrated how he lost his right leg after being shot by a police officer identified as Moshood.
Kusimo, while narrating his ordeal to the panel at Magistrate Court 1, Isabo, Abeokuta, said the officer shot him and ran away.
His words: “on the 9th of February, 2012, two police officers accosted me around Iporo Ake area of Abeokuta in the afternoon and one of them shot me and they both ran away.
“I was rushed to the General Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta by neighbors. After I have received some treatment, I was asked to go for X-Ray the second day. To my surprise, I got arrested at the hospital’s gate by some officers of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad from Magbon, Abeokuta and was put behind counter for 37 days, tortured with hot iron and asked to confess that I was an armed robber which I refused”.
Kusimo revealed that due to neglect and lack of proper care for the leg, it started producing maggots which later degenerated to the level of amputation in April 2012.
He said it was at the stage, when the smell was unbearable again that he was allowed to go back to hospital.
“At this point, we had no money again to purchase drugs and pay hospital bills. I had to sell my uncompleted building which was ready for roofing for just N500,000 to take care of the medical bills”, Apostle Anthony said, requesting for government’s support in terms of compensation for the money spent on his treatment and to take care of his family.
Another petition brought before the panel was that of Mr. Gbenga Kehinde who was arrested on 7th October, 2017 along with his three friends at Emuren, Ijebu Ode and were taken to Magbon in Abeokuta where they were accused of stealing fish worth N63million from a farm in Ijebu Ode.
According to the petitioner, he and his friends spent almost three months in police custody with several daily torture from Inspector Adam Abubakar for an offence they did not commit.
The cases had been adjourned to 28th January and 1st February, 2021 for further hearing and to get the accused police officers for their responses.