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Pastor in critical condition after torture by senior police officer

A man of God has been admitted to a hospital after he was allegedly brutalised by a senior police officer for telling him to remove his shoes in his church.

The injured Pastor Johnson Dominic
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Pastor Dominic who is has been admitted to a private hospital in Lagos, according to Punch, narrated how the police officer, Dr Emmanuel Eze brutalised him in Onosa community in Ibeju Lekki area of the state because he told him (officer) to remove his shoes before coming into his church.

Pastor Dominic, who is the head of the CCC, New Jerusalem Parish, said that Eze who is the ACP in charge of medicals in the Bayelsa State Police Command, brutalised him on Tuesday, November 22, in his church premises.

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The 44-year-old pastor added that he was attacked by three of the ACP's aides who dragged him on the floor and slapped him several times, accusing him of being rude to the police boss.

“It was around 5pm that the ACP and his men came to my church. I was attending to some people, who came for prayers.

He came to inspect his land. We had known each other for some years. The ACP bought 16 plots of land beside my church and he had always asked me to monitor them for him.

I asked him to remove his shoes because he was on the church premises. He got angry and he slapped me. His aides dragged me on the floor.

The beat me until I became unconscious. That was how I found myself in this hospital.”

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However, the police officer has denied torturing the pastor nor ordering his men to do so. ACP Eze claimed the pastor slumped because he was on a two-day fast.

“I am a medical doctor. I do not carry arms and I do not violate people’s rights. Honestly speaking, Johnson (Dominic) is my good friend. He has been helping me to look after some plots of land I have in the area.

My problem with him started when he supplied me some concrete blocks and someone later told me that he had been shortchanging me.

Instead of 1,500 concrete blocks that I ordered for, he brought 1,200 blocks. When I came in on Tuesday, I told him that my wife was coming to farm on the plots of land.

He did not like that idea. I also asked for 100 rods I kept with him. He said they remained 91 rods. So, an argument started.

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I did not come with any aide. I had three pastors and my driver in the jeep. I do not like civilians to be molested. When I came in with the pastors, he asked us to remove our shoes. So I stood outside.

While we were arguing about the rods, nobody pushed anybody. We were just arguing. He just slumped and became unconscious. It was a fierce argument.

I was told he had been fasting for two days. He had earlier threatened that he was going to kill me. I was the one who rushed him to a hospital and paid for his bills. It is not true that I beat him up. I am a responsible police officer.”

But some church members who witnessed the scene confirmed that ACP Eze's men actually rough handled the man of God and gave him some slaps for daring to tell an officer to remove his shoes.

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