I WATCHED AS POLICE BRUTALISED MY SISTER TO DEATH- BROTHER OF NASARAWA LADY TORTURED TO DEATH BY POLICE, SEE PIX

Mr. Zakaria Isah, 25, elder brother of Belkisu Isah, who was allegedly tortured to death by the police in Nasarawa State, tells UMAR MUHAMMED that the police arrested his sister because her ex-boyfriend, Abdul, was said to have stolen from a Lebanese. Isah said, in his presence, the police forcibly removed his sister’s hijab, brutalised her, beat her with cable wires and inflicted injuries all over her body

What do you do?

I am a waiter in a hotel in Abuja.

Your sister was allegedly tortured to death by the police. Where were you when all that happened?

The police came to our house to take away my sister. They said she was the girlfriend of a suspect called Abdul, who allegedly stole money. They said they wanted to take her to the station but we refused because we did not want her to go, but they said they only wanted to ask her a few questions and that she would be back that same day. When we got there, the police asked her to remove her hijab and she said no. They started slapping her (across the face) and calling her all sorts of names.  They called her prostitute, Ashawo, and other names. They said she was sleeping with the suspect. Even when she was removing the hijab, they were slapping her (across the face) in my presence and I became angry.

I wanted to say something but they said I shouldn’t say anything. So when the beating became too much, I said I could locate Abdul’s family and they asked me to take them there. When we got there, we saw his aunt’s husband and he was also taken to the police station. So when we got back to the station, I saw what the beating had done to my sister and I became short of words. I left there and returned home because I wanted to change my clothes and return to the police station later. In fact, I wanted to return to the station to fight the policeman that was torturing my sister, but people at home stopped me. While I was at home, they continued to beat my sister. They hit her head on the wall and hit her in the stomach. When she returned home, she showed me some marks on her body. She spoke about how she was flogged and the pains she had. I gave her medications but I didn’t know that she would die.

Do you know your sister’s boyfriend, Abdul?

The Abdul they are talking about, my sister had separated from him. My mum noticed the man’s character and told my sister to move away from him and my sister did that. They had not seen each other for some time; it was after incident that Abdul came back and told my sister that he still loved her but my sister said no.

Do you know if Abdul stole the N1.4m from a Lebanese man, which led to your sister’s alleged torture?

My sister did not know anything about the money.

What kind of person is Abdul?

I used to see him then. He didn’t smoke or drink but all of a sudden, that changed.

Where is Abdul now?

I have no idea.

What condition was your sister in when you left the police station?

They put her in the cell and poured water on her before I left. She said she was feeling cold and the policeman still poured water on her.

What else did your sister tell you?

She said she could feel pain in her tummy and there were marks on her body.

Your sister’s friend said she was also arrested but not beaten because an inspector said he liked her. What can you say about that?

We understand the policeman is always like that and that he has a permanent room in a hotel where he always takes women. He told my sister’s friend to come and see him and he gave her his phone number.

What was the last conversation you had with your sister?

The last time I saw her; she came to my room and sat on the chair. She moved from one chair to another and left. Later, I was told she was unable to move her legs again so I carried her and put her in my mum’s room. I wanted to go and call a commercial motorcyclist so that we could take her to the hospital; that was when she died.

What do you miss most about her?

I miss everything about her because she is my immediate sibling. I miss her smile and the happiness I always had when I was with her. If I came back from work, she would say, ‘Brother, what do you have for me?’ So I miss everything about you her.

What were her dreams and aspirations?

She used to say that when she got married, she would be a billionaire and would give her mother this and that. There was one day I told her I would have money more than her husband and we both laughed over it. But she said she just wanted to be a good person and a good housewife. She was a good cook. But she dropped out when she was in Senior Secondary School 2. People loved her. And she would not see someone in need of something and not want to help them, no matter how little.

She was an apprentice tailor and very hard-working.

How difficult has it been for you and the rest of the family to cope with the loss?

Up till now, we are still in shock. I have been taken to the hospital twice.

How are your parents?

They are recovering. My elder sister is not feeling well.  I call on the government to investigate this issue. Yes, I know I have lost my sister already but the government should do something to stop security agencies from torturing people. I couldn’t defend my sister because I didn’t have the power to do so; if not, I would have saved her. The government should caution the Nigeria Police. They said the police are our friends but they are the ones killing us and we don’t have the power to challenge them.

Is there any plan by the family to take this matter to court?

We don’t have money to do that.

Copyright PUNCH.