By FEMI SALAWU
A petition written by lawyers to owner of Eventz.com, Uchenna Eshareturi has been forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari against the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase.
The petitioner claims that the Police boss is obstructing justice in her assault and battery case against members of Christ Embassy Church, Lagos, Nigeria.
Also copied in the document are 18 others including the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode as well as international organizations including, Amnesty International, The United Nations, National Human Rights Commission
In the six-page petition, her lawyer, Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla of Obono, Obono & Associates stated that on the November 21, 2014, the woman alongside a member of her staff, Daniel Ukpai was brutally and gruesomely assaulted and battered by one Pastor Dave Benson and 20 (Twenty) other members of the Christ Embassy Church in Lagos, Nigeria.
Her lawyers stated further that the trauma she suffered from the assault led to the loss of pregnancy aside the damage that was done to her equipments which was leased to the church through one Pastor Dave Benson.
According to the lawyer, on the fateful day, his aggrieved client got a raw deal when she went to the premises of the church in respect of her LED Screens that was rented to the Church for the IPPC Exhibition (International Pastors and Partners Conference Exhibition) that took place at the Christ Embassy Exhibition Centre, Izelyamu Street, Oregun, Lagos from 18th November, 2014 to 26th November, 2014.
The matter was reported to the Nigeria Police Force Alausa Divisional Police Headquarters, Alausa, Lagos. The petitioner noted that “the Police commenced investigation into the matter despite strenuous efforts by the Christ Embassy to frustrate investigation by giving the impression that the matter was a mere dispute between members of the Church but the Police refused to buckle.”
“On the 4th December, 2014, the Inspector General of Police promptly directed The Commissioner of Police, IGP Monitoring Units, The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, to investigate the case and report its findings. See attached Petition for your perusal and consideration – Annexure BB.
“However, the directive of the Inspector General of Police was never carried out and the matter was deliberately and shamelessly suppressed by the intervention of Mr. Solomon Arase who used his tremendous influence, clout and connection in the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force after succumbing to the compromises of the Christ Embassy Church to ensure that the lawful directives of the Inspector General concerning the matter never saw the light of the day.
“Our Clients resigned themselves to fate and decided to lick their wounds and leave everything to the Almighty God but your recent inauguration into office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and your solemn promise to effect change in the Country and uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Rule of Law in the Country by fighting corruption and impunity has instilled on them a glimmer of hope and confidence that justice would eventually be done to their case by appealing for your intervention into this sordid matter.”
Her two fold requests to President Buhari include:
*Direct the investigation and prosecution of the case reported by our Client on the 21st November, 2014, against Pastor Dave Benson and cohorts;
*Direct the investigation of the role played by Mr. Solomon Arase and other Senior Police Officers in the suppression, obstruction and perversion of the course of justice in a matter reported by our Client against Pastor Dave Benson and other members of the Christ Embassy Church.
Obono-Obla also confirmed that a case with Christ Embassy officials has been filed before the Federal High Court, Ikeja, Lagos.
