Alleged assault: Woman drags Edo govt to court

A woman in Benin City, Edo State, Mrs. Oghosa Ejemai, has alleged that she lost a 7-week pregnancy after she was attacked and molested at her shop by a team led by the Edo State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Isimeme Iriogbe.

She said that apart from the loss of her pregnancy and bodily harm caused her, the goods in her shops were also carted away by the commissioner’s team, hence her resolve to sue the Commissioner and the Edo State government with the sum of N100 million for assault.

Mrs. Ejimai spoke in Benin when she was presented to journalists by the Publicity Secretary of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Chris Nehikhare, at the state secretariat of the party.

The woman said she was in her shop located at  14, Mission Road, Benin City, at about 5:00 p.m on February 2, 2016, when some people led by Commissioner Oregbe stormed her shop and started parking the goods therein, adding that in her attempt to prevent the Commissioner and his team from taking her goods, she was slapped and hit.

Said she: “They tried to push me into a vehicle, hit my head and fired shots into the air. People rescued me that day. I was taken to the Benin Central Hospital and reported to the Oba Market Police Station.

“The third day, I started bleeding, so I went back to the hospital. At the hospital, doctor confirmed that I had lost my 7-week-old pregnancy.

“When they called me to come and pick my goods, I only saw about five per cent of the goods taken from my shop. They told me to take whatever was available as they don’t usually release seized goods.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Osimeme iriogbe, said Mrs Ejimai’s goods were seized because she displayed her goods on walkway, adding that the woman attacked members of the task force on street trading that were with him.