Mrs. Joy Owolabi, a shop owner in the Nanmwa Junction, Abattoir area, Jos South local government area of Plateau State, was allegedly beaten to stupor on Friday by an unidentified member of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC Officer), causing significant injury to her eyes and other body parts.
Although the woman reported the event, which took place just a few meters from the organization’s headquarters, the organization has yet to find the Nscdc officer and his accomplice who assaulted her.
Before the incident on Friday, it was learned that the said nscdc officer (whom Mrs. Owolabi could recognize by face because she doesn’t know his name) had visited the betting shop next to the victim’s shop and blocked Mrs. Owolabi’s entrance with his official motorcycle. Mrs. Owolabi signaled to the employee to move the motorcycle, but he ignored her, and an argument ensued.
On that Friday, the nscsc personnel and his accomplice went back to the bookmaker and parked the employee’s motorcycle in the same spot that the customer had complained about. He and the business owner had a verbal exchange as a result of the incident.
The victim and a few witnesses corroborated that he failed to correctly park his motorcycle and instead attacked the victim, threw her to the ground, and began whipping her with a wire as neighbors and bystanders helplessly looked on. Since the attacker and his accomplice were armed, no one could save the woman.
Mrs. Owolabi described her ordeal as follows: “On September 2, 2022, at around noon, I was in my shop when I noticed two men riding into it in uniform. They were members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps. The first stood by the side of the road, and the second approached the door of my store.
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“They came with an official motorcycle, when the man parked, blocking the entrance of my shop, I went and met him and said please, help me re-park this motorcycle because the way you parked, I cannot enter the shop.
“My neighbour who is the Naijabet Manager also came out and saw the way the man parked the motorcycle; he started pleading with the man to re-park it. As we were talking, the man punched me in my left eye and I fell to the ground.
“As I was trying to stand up, he punched me in the second eye. He removed the wire and started flogging me. They came in armed so people were afraid of coming to my rescue and when this thing was going on, people were just watching.
“After flogging me, the two of them left with the motorcycle. When they left, I locked my shop and went to their office which is not far from my shop to report.”
Another shop owner who did not want to be mentioned added, “This is somebody’s wife that this boy beat like an animal because he is wearing a uniform. We were scared of going close for fear of being shot. It appears that the boy is on something, apart from getting justice for the woman, he should be fished out and punished to save the woman in his life. It could be that is the manner he is flogging them at home.”
He appealed that the NSCDC should not sweep the incident under the carpet in the guise of not being able to identify the culprit, saying, “the owner of the shop that he used to enter can help to identify him.”
At the time of this report, the victim was still receiving treatment at a hospital in Jos as she is feeling severe pains all over her body. It was also gathered that the victim was asked to return on Monday as all personnel on a motorcycle would be presented for her to “identify” who assaulted her.
However, the State NSCDC Public Relations Officer, DSC Madaki Longbit said he was not aware of the incident but would find out on Monday. His words, “I was not informed, Friday was a busy day for us and I was not at the Command but give me till Monday to confirm, I will get back to you.”
