Assaulted woman lost 7-weeks pregnancy, sues Edo state government.

A housewife, Mrs. Oghosa Ejemai, who allegedly lost her seven-week pregnancy and sustained injuries, following alleged attack by officials of the Edo State Government, yesterday threatened to sue the State Government for the sum of N100 million for assault. She alleged that the State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Isimeme Iriogbe supervised her alleged assaults along with his staff.

Mrs Ejemai spoke in Benin when she was presented to journalists by the Publicity Secretary of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Chris Nehikhare, at the state secretariat of the party. She explained that she was in her shop at 14, Mis­sion Road, Benin City, at about 5:00p.m. on February 2, 2016, when some people led by the Commissioner stormed her shop and started packing her wares, adding that in her attempt to prevent the commissioner and his team from taking her goods, she was slapped and hit.

“They tried to push me into a vehicle, hit my head and fired shots into the air. People rushed at me that day. I was taken to the Benin Central Hospital and reported to the Oba market police station. “The third day, I started bleeding. So I went to the hospital. At the hospital, doctor confirmed that I had lost my seven-week-old pregnancy.

“When they called me to come and pick my goods, I only saw about five per cent of the goods taken from my shop. They told me to take whatever was available as they don’t usually release seized goods,” she said. But in a swift reaction, the Commissioner for Trans­port, Mr. Iriogbe said Mrs. Ejemai was trading along the walkway and had attacked officials who came to clear the walkway of traders and their wares.

“She was trading along the walkway and she ac­costed the officials that were clearing the walkway. She almost tore the dress of one of the women who was removing the wares. By going to the PDP for her press conference, it means her blocking the walkway was political “I expect her to be at the court and we shall meet there because the court is for everybody. I acted de­cently and I did not beat her.”