Disability rights group slams Edo police over stabbing of blind shoemaker
Crime/Social Justice
Benin, Edo – A petition from the Network for the Advancement of People with Visible Disabilities (NAPVID) has accused the Edo State Police Command of “gross neglect of duty” after the only suspect arrested in the near-fatal stabbing of a visually impaired father of three was released within 24 hours.
The victim, Mr. Sunday Nworie, a blind cobbler, was stabbed in the stomach and beaten until three teeth were knocked out in a vicious attack allegedly carried out by a man, his wife, and their six children on ICE Road, off Wire Road, on an unspecified date in October.
According to the petition addressed to the commissioner of police, and sighted by Daily South Nigeria, the violence began over a minor dispute at a public tap on Oguola, off Siluko Road, between Mr. Nworie’s wife and the suspects.
The family later stormed the couple’s home, beat the wife, then ambushed Mr. Nworie at his roadside workshop.
He was stabbed in the abdomen and clubbed in the mouth, sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Despite the brutality, Oba Market Police Division allegedly released the lone suspect transferred from Evbuotubu Division the following day without charging him or arresting the other seven family members.
In the petition, W.O. Ehigie Esq, demanded the immediate rearrest of all eight suspects, investigation into Oba Market Division’s “premature release” and swift prosecution under the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.
“This apparent neglect raises serious concerns about police professionalism and impartiality, especially in a matter involving a person with disability whose vulnerability demands special protection,” the petition stated.
NAPVID warned that failure to act risks emboldening further violence against PWDs and eroding public trust in the Nigeria Police Force.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Joel Yamu is yet to issue a statement on the petition, but sources close to the investigation revealed that police have now apprehended the primary suspect, who had initially fled after the attack.
