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Bakassi Killings
Gory details of how 26 died in Bakassi horror cell, by Survivors
By Kingsley Omonobi & Ndidi Onuora
Posted to the Web: Wednesday, August 17, 2005
ABUJA â?"GORY details of illegal arrests by Bakassi Boys in Abia
State on August 4, 2005, in which 26 people lost their lives were
given yesterday by three of the lucky survivors with one of them,
Paul Nwosu, revealing that he counted 21 bodies in one cell and five
other bodies in another cell.
The survivors spoke at a police press conference in Abuja where the
Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, described the
extra-judicial killings as the worst order without justification,
which should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.
Other survivors who narrated their ordeals were Paul Nwamutu and
Linus Ekeledo. Nwosu said: "I am a tanker driver, working in Port
Harcourt. On the 4th of August, 2005, I closed from work and was on
my way home when at Eleme junction, I suddenly saw a Nissan bus with
some people inside brandishing pump action rifles and cutlasses.
People were shouting and running.
"As I was asking what was going on, one of the occupants of the bus
by name Kingsley Chimezie jumped down and asked me to get into the
bus. I asked him for what? and he said I was a robber. I told him he
was wrong that I am a tanker driver. I showed him my identity card as
well as my registration number in our drivers' union.
"The next thing he said was that I should bring N10,000 or he would
bundle me into the bus. I told him I had no money on me. The next
thing was that he searched me, collected the N5,000 on me, my Nokia
3310 handset, and threw me into the bus. Before that, they hit me on
the head and other parts of my body with cutlasses.
"I am an old man with seven children. At my age, I have no reason to
tell lies. They took us to this store at a market where we met other
people. The cell was choking, no ventilation. I was vomiting blood.
In fact, by the time we were found, I saw 21 bodies that were brought
out from one cell and another five bodies that were brought out from
the other cell."
On his part, Paul Nwamutu, said he was riding home on his Okada after
the close of work. "I am a tanker driver working at Osisioma depot.
At about 6.30pm, at Ariara junction, before Port Harcourt road, I saw
a Mitsubishi bus without number. The way the occupants drove annoyed
me because they nearly hit me so I abused them. They then stopped and
started hitting me with machetes.
"From there, they took me into the bus, tied my two legs and hands
together and drove us to Ohapia market. Before then, they asked me to
bring all I had on me. Led by Kingsley Chimezie, they collected
N11,131 on me, Nokia 3310 handset, and my wristwatch. At the market,
they pushed me into the cell filled with people. The cell had an iron
gate. They had pump action rifles and cutlasses with which they beat
us even though we showed our identifications.
"Inside the cell, it was terribly hot, no ventilation. We pleaded
that we were dying, that they should allow air in, but they refused
and started shooting into the air to scare us the more. I was able to
survive because I was close to the door of the cell and put my nose
on the keyhole of the gate. One of the dead even bit my leg while
struggling not to die."
The third survivor, Linus Ekeledo, sais he was returning from Port
Harcourt refinery and that when he got to Ekele junction: "I saw a
bus and some people with pump action rifles and cutlasses inside.
They arrested me and took me inside. We were like sardines inside
because it was full of people. They tied me, collected my NUPENG
membership card, N3,200 on me and a handset.
"They took us to a store without windows. This was at about 7.30 or
8pm. After about one hour, we started shouting that we were dying
because there was no air. In fact, the sweat that came out of my body
that night as a result of heat would fill two buckets. At about 2a.m
the next day, the shouting by the inmates had subsided due to
exhaustion.
"Even myself, I lost consciousness. I didnâ?Tt know where I was. I
didnâ?Tt know if I was alive or dead. Later on, I felt some water on
me then I started hearing voices. Then more water was on me and I
regained consciousness. Some people then woke me up."
Speaking on the issue, Mr. Ehindero said: "I have called this
briefing to intimate you on the true happenings in Abia State about
the untoward activities of the illegal Bakassi outfit. They engaged
themselves in an outlawed behaviour by going on a raid of people said
to be criminals but who actually are innocent people and this led to
extra judicial killings of the worst order.
"They raided 25 people, took them to a cell of 10 by 10 feet, with
decking and without ventilation. They arrived at a black spot by the
overhead bridge along Aba-Port-Harcourt expressway and arrested 37
young men between the ages of 18 and 35 years who were allegedly
caught using hard drugs and smoking Indian hemp."Kingsley Chimezie, a
member of the Bakassi gang, said, however, that, "the suspects were
arrested on the orders of the chairman of the security committee of
Aba market. It was Charles Williams. We got information that some
criminals were to attack the market (ASMATA). We then went after the
suspects, arrested them and I told Charles that we should hand them
over to the police. He said I could not tell him what to do and that
he would handle the matter."
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