Sorrow! How I Was Wrongfully Arrested and Convicted at 23 – Egbema Born Newman Osia

• Urgent Appeals to Tompolo, Matthew Tonlagha, Kestin Pondi, Jude Ukori, Guwor, Alhaji Omoko, Lawuru, Others to Prevail on Gov Oborevwori for Clemency

By Daniel Njienue, Warri

The Congress probe, further revealed that Pastor Newman Osi was just 23 years old when he was wrongly arrested and convicted for robbery he did not commit on the 24th day of December, 2004 at Sapele within the Sapele Judicial Division with others now at large allegedly robbed one Mr Vote Eyitemi, an Itsekiri man and his daughters of the following items; a cash sum of N24,500 and a golden wrist watch valued at the sum of N1,500 and at the time of robbery he was alleged to be with a gun which was untrue according to investigation.

He, however, appealed to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, Engr Matthew Tonlagha, Engr Kestin Pondi, Amb. Jude Ukori, Alhaji Emmmanuel Omoko, Chief Promise Lawuru, INC president, Chief Barr McDonald IGBADIWEI, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor Speaker of Delta State Assembly, and Others to prevail on the excecutive governor of Delta State, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori to grant him Clemency.

Osia, an indigene of Ajakurama Community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, is currently being held at the Warri Correctional Centre, where he had demanded custody for the past 25 years following his conviction by a court.

According to Newman Osi who had an exclusive interview with Congress Correspondents, said on 24th of December, 2004, his mother sent for him, that he should come and carry her from Eberime village for Christmas, when he came back from the village around 6.00pm, later in the evening he went back to his In-law’s place to return cassette at New Road by Ojolu in Sapele and he left there at about 10.00pm. He got home and met his mother, sister and brother playing music and dancing, after everything they slept.

Osi added that, apart from his brother called Ayodele, he has another brother who has same resemblance with him, used his motorcycle to go to work on 24th of December, 2004 night and came back the following day 25th of December, 2004 morning at about 7:30am and said he had a flat tyre.

While trying to recover the motorcycle, on his way home, he was stopped by two girls on a motorcycle who were pointing at him and then he stopped the bike man carrying him, thinking they have diesel orders for him, while having a conversation with them one of the girls accused him of robbing them, and they made a call, suddenly a man came over with another bike man and the man held him up and told him, he came to his house last night to rob him and his family, he then replied him, he had no idea of what he was talking about and asked his bike man to take him to his destination, but the man and the two girls held him up and invited the police.

He further narrated, “After much heated argument at the station, the DPO then invited the police anti-robbery squad for investigation, Officer Rufus Atibaka, a police inspector who was the leader of the squad asked me what happened of which I explained everything to him, the officer examined me with a hand shake and turned back to the DPO and said, the man is innocent and should be released, that they should allow him to do thorough investigation on the issue but the Itsekiri man and his daughters refused, demanding that I should be detained at the police station”.

However, the officer, then said, since the robbery occurred last night, let them go to my house to search for the items stolen, getting to my place none of the name items stolen was found in my house.

While carrying out their search, one of the girls pointed at one of my T-shirts and a pair of boots in my room and said it’s what I wore the night they were robbed.
The police officer, Atibaka then picked them up and they took me to the man’s house for cross examination, Officer Atibaka using my boot teeth to match with the footprints in the man’s compound but it’s didn’t blend with the one on ground, they went further and took me to their neighbors house which of the girls claimed I always visit whenever I come to their compound which is untrue, they called them to take a look at me whether they knew me before, but they replied that they don’t know me.

Pastor Newman, added, “At this point the officer told the man and his family in the presence of the I.P.O that I should be released from the police custody that the evidence on ground had proofed me innocent again.
But they insist I should be kept in the police custody”.

“When we arrive back to the station, Officer Atibaka met his O/C Anti-robbery and explain how we moved, thereafter sometime, the man went straight to the DPO office, and the DPO ordered that the case be transferred to State C.I.D Asaba and that was the beginning of my dilemma”, Newman narrated.

To be continued.
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