On Wednesday, officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service in Benin, Edo State capital, allegedly assaulted Joy Odigie, a journalist with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to our correspondent, a female officer also made derogatory remarks about Odigie’s albinism, calling her a “stupid albino”.
Odigie had visited the Edo State Command of the immigration service to interview Ake Kenneth, the Public Relations Officer, about a reported burglary at the command over the weekend. The burglars allegedly broke into the border unit, technical section, and National Identification Number office, vandalizing electrical cables and equipment and stealing valuables, including money from a safe.
One perpetrator was reportedly arrested by officers on duty on Monday.
When Odigie arrived at the command, she was asked by reception officers about her mission. She explained that she was a journalist and wanted to see the PRO. However, one of the officers claimed to know she was a journalist and began shouting that he wanted to search her, suspecting she might be carrying a bomb.
Odigie protested, saying since the officer knew she was a journalist, he should allow her to see the PRO instead of embarrassing her. The officer replied that she should meet another officer to receive further instructions. When this became increasingly embarrassing, Odigie refused to comply.
More officers arrived at the scene, and a female officer called out to her, saying “Oga is calling you.” Odigie asked for the officer’s name but was met with a derogatory remark: “You are disrespecting my Oga, you stupid albino.”
Odigie expressed her shock and dismay at the comment but was met with resistance from other officers who confiscated her belongings. One officer with a gun dragged her outside the office, causing her umbrella to fall from her hand. Another officer collected it.
Odigie left the office and called the PRO of the service, who subsequently intervened and recovered her umbrella and belongings.
When contacted about the incident, the PRO apologized to Odigie and extended his apologies to her.
