Legal Group Seeks Justice For Hotel Cleaner Who Was Dehumanized By DSS

Legal Group Seeks Justice For Hotel Cleaner Who Was Dehumanized By DSS…..

The legal group, Sterling Centre for Law and Development, has cried out for the arrest and prosecution of Mrs. Celina Okafor the Secretary of Statement Hotel, Abuja, and all the operatives of Department of State Services (DSS) who took part in the torture and dehumanising of Patrick Okachi, a cleaner in the hotel.

Charityreporters has reported how Patrick after cleaning the Chairman’s office was accused of stealing a cash safe without playing back the CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of the suspect.

The hotel Secretary, Celina Okafor hurriedly invited some DSS operatives into her office who allegedly tortured Patrick with electric shock and also inserted brooms into his private part.

He was taken to their office where he was brutalised and assaulted.

In a letter dated 14th November 2022, signed by the Legal Officer of the Centre, Oluwafisayomi S. Aina, and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, the group called for investigation into the conduct of Celina Okafor alongside those of her collaborators.

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The centre described the action of operatives as callous, barbaric, wicked and criminal under the provisions of the Penal Code, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, (ACJA) the Anti-Torture Act 2017 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015.

The letter read in part, “We represent one Patrick Okachi (who is hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”). Our client who was hitherto a cleaner at Statement Hotel, Central Area, Abuja was accused of stealing by Ms. Celina Okafor who is the secretary of Statement Hotel where our client works and on the 3rd day of November, 2022, the said Ms. Celina Okafor invited some officers whom our client believe to be those of the State Security Service (DSS) into her office where our client was tortured, brutalized and dehumanized, including insertion of sharp objects in his penis by the officers of the DSS.

“Also, our client was blindfolded by the DSS officials and taken to a bush in an unknown area he suspects to be Dawaki, where he was further tortured till the next day and was brought back to the hotel the next day, 4th November, 2022 where he was left unconscious at the gate of the hotel. Pictures of his badly injured body are attached.

“We note the avowed commitment of the National Human Rights Commission, especially in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests that rocked the nation in October, 2020 towards eradicating all forms of brutality, as further demonstrated in your setting up an independent investigative panel to investigate allegations of violations and which panel after long hearing sessions recently submitted a report and followed with payment of compensation to victims and their families.

“While we are of the belief that the Central Police Division (Federal Secretariat Police Division) of the FCT Police Command has had time to investigate this matter and to charge the perpetrators before a competent court, we are satisfied thus far with the conduct of the station headed by ACP Abdullahi Alhassan in the investigations. However, we cannot rationalise the delay of the FCT Police to prosecute the perpetrators for torture, assault and acts of violence, while the police, virtually on a daily basis, arrests and charges others to court for those types of crimes, particularly given the fact that the unrefuted nature of the evidence against the perpetrators is credible, graphic, strong, accessible and available.

“Celina Okafor’s conduct alongside those of her collaborators, is a criminal one under the provisions of the Penal Code, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Anti-Torture Act 2017 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act2015.

“We suspect strongly, that there may be surreptitious moves by some powerful persons to stall, stop or avoid the prosecution of the perpetrators of such dastardly act against our client, as similar efforts have been made to intimidate, coerce and induce our client to abandon his quest for justice. This is what has prompted our writing this letter.

“Following from the foregoing narrative, we respectfully urge you sir, to use your good offices to ensure the immediate prosecution of Ms. Celina Okafor and the officers of the State Security Service (DSS) who went rogue, outside their official code and tortured our client with impunity.”