By Elo Edremoda, Warri
A former taxi driver, Simon Arigbe, who became blind as a result of police brutality in Ovwian, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, on Tuesday lamented the refusal of the police to pay N12 million compensation awarded by a law court.
Counsel to the victim, Bernard Jamaho, told the State Judicial Panel of Enquiry sitting in Warri that the judgment was issued in 2010.
He said the victim was molested by a police team, had his eyes injured in the process and became blinded.
Jamaho said rights lawyer, Oghenejabor Ikimi, took up the matter and judgment was given in 2010 for N12 million compensation to be paid to the victim.
“Some policemen who were on duty at Express Junction by Ovwian, asked him for some money, which he could not give to them. He said he had given them before and he could not give them another one.
“That led to an altercation and the altercation led to them beating him up. In the process, they injured his eyes and he got blinded.
“Human rights lawyer, Ikimi, took the matter up, got a judgment in 2010 and the police had to go to court again to try to set aside the judgment. The court dismissed the application in 2011.
“Since then, every application to the Police Service Commission (PSC), to the police force, to the government, to make sure that his money, the N12 million awarded against the police, is paid, has proved abortive. Every effort made has not worked. Even through the Attorney General, it did not work,” the lawyer said.
He expressed satisfaction with the panel’s decision to make appropriate recommendation to the state government.
The lawyer also called for a different body to enforce judgments by law courts, describing enforcement by bailiffs and the police as “anomaly”.