A woman has accused some Rivers state policemen of battering her simply because she was sporting tattoos on her body.
The woman, whose name is Chioma Pius alleged that she was travelling via cab from Bayelsa to Port Harcourt, Rivers State when she was accosted by some policemen who then proceeded to accuse her of being rude to them after which she was attacked and beaten.
Narrating her ordeal on Facebook she said; “I experienced the worst day of my life on Monday. I was brutalised by some police officers in the Emohua area of Rivers State; at a highway leading to Bayelsa State.
“My crime was that I tattooed my body. A police officer asked me to step down from the taxi I was travelling in from Bayelsa to Port Harcourt. I asked to know why; he ignored my question and asked again that I should step out of the car, so I got out of the car.
“He asked to know who I was and what I did for a living because of the tattoo on my body. I gladly introduced myself with a big smile on my face. My phone rang, but I couldn’t answer (the call). The policeman told me to identify myself to his superior, which I found funny. I was just looking at the guy when he said I should be detained; that I didn’t have manners and that I was a cult member, prostitute and armed robber. There was no disgusting name those men didn’t call me.
“I just laughed the insults off and told them I would not enter their mobile cell. They seized my phone, so I couldn’t record them. They searched my purse and when they couldn’t find any money, they got angry and said I didn’t even have money, and I was showing off.
“Before I knew it, one of the officers grabbed my trousers and pushed me into the van, while the other guy slapped and punched me repeatedly. I asked why they were beating me up, but their leader used the butt of his gun to hit me on my thighs. He went away and came back with a cane and flogged me. He pushed me into their mobile cell,”
She took some photos of her bruises which she posted on her Facebook account. Below are photos of her bruises which she took and posted online.
