Officials of Abakaliki Correctional Service have attacked an Ebonyi based legal practitioner, Ekigbo Sampson, causing him severe ear injuries.

Ekigbo was diagnosed with ear trauma with otitis media after the attack by the prison officials, according to a police medical report obtained from Nigeria Police Medical Department at the state police headquarters, Abakaliki, signed by DSP Uche Okette.

The report stated that the lawyer has “history of slap at his right ear which caused him pains and trauma”.

He was referred to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki for further treatment after receiving first aid.

It was gathered that four armed officials of the Abakaliki Correctional Service Centre attacked Ekigbo on Tuesday evening.

A petition signed by his lawyers, J. Elom and Kingsley Ogodo and copied to the state Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, read: “On the 26th day of November, 2024 at about 1400 hours, our client while on transit around filing station, Abakaliki/Enugu Expressway, was collided into by a tricycle.

“Upon the occurrence of this incident, our client packed across Hariz filing station and walked into the filing station to sort out how to fix his vehicle, discharging the tricycle driver.

“While waiting outside for his mechanic, our client was just walking across the filing station when the suspects at about 1427 hours drove in a Green Hiace Hummer Toyota bus of the Abakaliki Medium Correctional Center and attempted to collude into our client.

“Our client merely asked the driver of Hiace Hummer Toyota bus whether he knows what he is doing and moved on, only for Mr. Pius Nwode to alight from the bus with him arm/gun together with one tall dark officer and aggressively walked to our client and slapped him hard on his right ear, cocked his gun, pointed at our client and retorted aggressively thus: “I will waste you here and nothing will happen”.

“Upon hearing this statement with a cocked gun pointed at him, our client was in grace fear for his life as he was uncertain as to next line of action the suspects will take.”

When contacted on the issue, Public Relations Officer of the Abakaliki Medium Correctional Centre, Nneka Iyasei, said she has not received report on the incident.