There was silence inside an Ikeja High Court in Lagos yesterday as Mr Freeman Agomo relived how his daughter, Juliana, died after she was tortured by members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) at Ejigbo market in February, 2013.
Agomo was led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Idowu Alakija.
He told the court that Juliana died few days after the incident. 10 persons accused of committing the crime at the Oba Morufu International Market in Ejigbo, Lagos are standing trial before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye.
They are the market leader, Isiaka Waidi, 61, Buhari Yusuf, 22, Abdullahi Haruna, 20 and Saheed Adisa, 29.
Others are Lateef Tijani, 37, Ahmed Adisa, 65, Azeez Akinosun, 36, Jimoh Busari, 50, Adekunle Adenuga, 38 and Oloruntoyin Dauda, 46, the woman leader of the market.
The defendants are facing a 19-count charge bordering on conspiracy, attempted murder, sexual assault, maliciously administering poison, obtaining money by false pretences and deprivation of liberty.
The DPP alleged that the defendants also tortured Freeman’s wife, Mrs Ajoke Agomo, and their daughters, Nike and Juliana.
Agomo, a palm-wine tapper, said: “My wife told me Juliana and Nike were accused of stealing pepper and they have been taken away to be beaten and punished.
“She said we should go and rescue the girls and I wondered what kind of pepper they stole that could warrant being punished.”
He said as they were talking about the incident, two of the defendants drove to his workplace on motorcycle and forced them to the market.
Agomo said when he and his wife got to the market, he was asked to sit outside the office of the first defendant (Baba Oloja) while his wife was taken inside.
Soon after, he said he heard his wife screaming and crying inside the office, adding that after some time, he was also asked to come inside the office.
Agomo said when he entered the office of the Baba Oloja, he saw his wife and daughters stripped naked.
“They tore my wife’s clothes and started beating her. She was crying and I was ordered to come into the room where she was held. When I got there, I realised that my wife and daughters were all naked,” he said.
According to him, the first defendant attempted to torture him.
“He brought out a cane to beat me but someone pleaded that I should be left alone because of my age. I watched helplessly as my wife and daughters were being tortured,” he said.
Agomo alleged that the woman leader of the market encouraged the torture of his wife.
“I was begging Oloruntoyin to have mercy but she was the one who ordered that my wife should be stripped naked. She never listened to my pleas,” he said.
He broke down in tears while telling the court how he was asked to pay N150,000 to bail his family.
“I was ordered by Waidi to bring N150,000 as bail. I had three friends with me who pleaded on my behalf and the bail was reduced to N50,000. I was told that if I didn’t come up with the money before 7p.m, my family will be killed. My friends and I were able to source for N20,000 for the bail of my family from automobile mechanics in the area,” Agomo told the court.
A photocopy of the receipt of the N20,000 bail given to Agomo by Waidi was tendered as evidence to the court by the prosecution and admitted as “Exhibit 1”.
Agomo added that one of the defendants, Adisa, told his landlord that he and his family should be evicted.
“Our landlord came into our home at 10pm on the day of the torture and sent me and my family out of our apartment, rendering us homeless,” he said.
He said his wife went to sleep at her sister’s place while he slept outside the house.
He said the second day, they all travelled to his village in Cotonou.
“Since that night after the torture, my daughter, Juliana complained of having a high temperature and pains internally. We took her to our village close to the border of Cotonou and she was admitted to a hospital. When her condition did not improve, I took her to a traditional herb seller to take care of her while I came back to Lagos to work.
“On the third day of my arrival in Lagos, I got a call from my father’s junior brother that my daughter, Juliana, was dead and has been buried,” he said.
Agomo prayed the court to ensure justice was done.
“The government should help me and my family gets justice,” he said.
The case was adjourned to October 14 and 15.
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