Nollywood Actress and filmmaker, Helena Duru, has taken to Instagram to narrate how she was beaten up and brutalised by some officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Enugu State after they invaded her home at midnight.
The actress said the EFCC operatives stormed her compound and attacked her for allegedly not opening the door that leads to the staircase that leads to the flats upstairs where she lives with other tenants.
She posted gory pictures of her bloodied face and the raw injury she sustained in the encounter with the men.
Read her full post below:
“Ccs department Enugu Zonal command of the economic and financial crime commission (EFCC) did this to me.
Exactly 02:53 I heard a noise in my compound, then I gently came out at my balcony to peep what it was, I saw some men but couldn’t identify them as it was still dark. When they saw me, they asked me to come down and open the staircase door which I ignored and hid. They had flashlights. They kept insisting I open the staircase door. I later went inside my house.
Few minutes on, I heard a boy screaming and crying for help. Then my neighbour called me to alert me. I told her I was awake, We both came out from our balconies (She lives on the first floor) the men started shouting at us that we should go in or open the staircase gate.
The next thing we heard they started damaging the staircase door and gained access. I went inside my room and locked the door. Two men climbed to my flat, damaged my two doors, gained access into my house and started beating me. I got a slap first that made me (shout) Jesus Christ.
They spoke in Hausa language but all I could hear was “yamiri” the beating became intense as they beat me in turns, using a rod/stick (don’t exactly know what that was) all over my body. One picked my USB phone cord and descended on me.
They kept speaking In Hausa as they beat me. I could feel the rage in them as I kept screaming Jesus. I feared for my life. Then I ran into the bathroom and closed the door. They try to push it down but the entrance was too slim for both of them. They left my room.
I thought they came on their own accord, once I noticed they left my room. I tried to come down to inform whoever is their superior what had happened, another one saw me, without saying a word he took his instrument and repeatedly hit my head screaming “get out, go up “I tried to explain why I had come down but he made sure he repeatedly hit my head until I felt fluid dripping on my face. I wiped my face and saw it was blood. (Continue from the pictures).
Please help me repost this until it gets to the right authorities
@officialefcc”
Meanwhile, Actors Guild of Nigeria’s President, Emeka Rollas has reacted to the incident.
Taking to his Instagram page, Emeka Rollas shared gory videos of the damages done to Duru’s body and her apartment.
He captioned his post: “How cruel can EFCC be? This young up coming Actress Helena Duru was beaten blue black at about 2:30am by EFCC operatives for nothing claimed she didn’t open the corridor door for them to have access to the upstairs of her compound where she resides in Asaba.
Two of the operatives were identified as ADE and ABDULAHI from the Enugu Zonal office. Before going for this operation they reported at the police station in Asaba.
I took this matter up personally by getting the EFCC chairman involved with a petition via a lawyer for compensation for this lady whose privacy EFCC invaded. EFCC invited her to listen to her version and she was interviewed by operatives named JULIANA and ERIC in the EFCC and we have their official numbers.
It’s been three weeks since the visit yet no further actions by the EFCC. Its obvious EFCC is keeping quiet so that the tempo would die down if not, is ADE and ABDULAHI the high and mighty that they cannot be brought to book?
We have seen various police men being dismissed for various misconducts in the recent past why is EFCC own different?
By the way I saw Adedayo Thomas ED Censors Board on a visit to EFCC few weeks ago clamouring for Nollywood the EFCC.
Is it with stuffs like this?
We are asking EFCC to make public the report by JULIANA and Eric.
All Actors should repost this as many times as possible to get justice for Helena.”
