A Nigerian diplomat on Saturday, May 17, 2015 got the beating of his life by the Police in Equitorial Guinea at a checkpoint in the Bata area of the country.
He was at a traffic point around Cruce Ntobo roundabout on his way to Cinco market when an Equitorial Guinea police officer halted his taxi driver, ranting in Spanish.
According to Mr Ichaba, he pleaded with the police man who was screaming in a language he could not understand to no avail.
The police man continued ranting until a fellow occupant of the vehicle explained to him in the words: “Documento! Documento! Papers!!
At this juncture, he disclosed that he brought out his diplomatic identity card issed by the country’s foreign ministry and showed it to the police officer.
Mr Ichaba further lamented that “Instead of taking a look at my ID card, he snubbed it and spoke to the driver who in turn; demonstrated by the use of his hand that telling me to go down; to which I asked “why”? Adding that the Mercado Cino is my final destination.”
“I asked, why are you arresting me? Then I went on to open my ID card to show him my photograph on it, telling him that I am a Nigerian and that this is a diplomatic card issued by Guinean government, instead, he snatched it from my hand, squeezed it and gave me a sudden slap on my face and pulled me out of the car.”
Mr Ichaba complained that the police officer beat him to stupor using his head, hands, legs until he noticed that he was near death.
Fortunately, calls were put through to the consulate’s office, he was taken to hospital where he was treated and discharged the same day.
Responding to the incident, Nigeria’s consulate in the country’s office in Bata, labelled the police man’s actions as disappointing
“The Consulate General of Nigeria wishes to express its outright dismay for the action of the policemen and demand an unreserved apology and the host authorities’ guarantee of its diplomat’s safety in the country,” the statement said.
