By Archibong Jeremiah
Mr. Michael Nkem, a security staff of Manhattan Security Services Limited, attached to Sinoma International Engineering Company Limited (SHA 600970) with head office at NO. 16, Wangjing North Road Chaoyang District Beijing, China 100102 running the United Cement Company, UNICEM Line2 Mfamosing, Akamkpa local government area, Cross River State, has threatened legal action against SINOMA company for alleged torture, inhuman and degrading treatment by the company’s Administration/Human Resource Manager, Mr. Zhu Jun on September 25, 2014.
In a letter from Mr. Michaels’s legal counsel, Bar. James Ibor with reference number BRC/CAL/SINOMA/VOL.9/71/2014, Nkem demanded for N50, 000, 000 only as compensation for damages.
Excerpts from the letter which was made available to CrossRiverWatch reads, “It is the instruction of our client that in September 25, 2014, Mr. Zhu Jun your Admin/Human Resource Manager at Sinoma/Sinoria Engineering Ltd, UNICEM Line2 Mfamosing, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, without any justifiable reason, kicked our client in his groin and made further attempt to strike him with a metal object but was restrained by a Mobile Police Officer on duty.
Our client was immediately rushed by co-workers to pharmaceutical service shop for first aid and later to a hospital where he was treated for intense pain.
“It is further instruction of our client that we demand the sum of Fifty Million Naira only, from you being compensation for the torture, inhuman and degrading treatment meted out on him by your employee. Take notice that we shall after two weeks of the service of this notice, commence legal action against you and your employee”.
When Mr. Nkem was contacted he further revealed that “I was falsely accused of stealing 1.5 meter of cable valued at 150 million naira according the my accuser Mr. Zhu Jun, several attempts at arresting me were made but to no avail, later after internal investigation it was discovered that the missing cable is 59 meters which I did not steal because I am not the one posted to the location where that cable was kept and besides no one is usually posted there, till date nothing has been said about my medical bills and my salary has not been forthcoming as before”.
An eye witness who happens to be a colleague of the complainant, Mr. Akpandem Effiom told CrossRiverWatch that, “I am one of the security men posted to labor camp to work that day because we work on 24 hours shift. The camp is a large area with residential quarters where the Sinoma Chinese men stay and a cable site.
“I was posted to the residential area while Nkem and Solomon Bassey was posted at the cable site in this camp, also there is an extension called transformer area where they are trying to install transformer and usually nobody is posted there, half drum of cable base was taken from the cable site to the transformer area which was used and remaining left there.
“On that faithful day in the morning around 6:30am Mr. Zhu passed us and went to the transformer area and by the time he came out, he called our supervisor to that place who in turn called the two of us because Solomon Bassey had taken excuse to go early, we were told that an intruder might have entered through a hole beneath the fence and stole some cable, before now we had drawn the attention of Sinoma to that hole for it to be filled but deaf ear was given to us.
“Mr. Zhu now requested for who was posted there and asked Michael if he is the one but in the process of answering while he was saying he wasn’t posted there, he knows nothing about the missing cable Mr. Zhu who is a good karate fighter kicked him below his abdomen when Nkem fell, he then turned around and picked a rod attempted to hit Michael if not for corporal Emmanuel of the Mobile police force posted there also who stopped Zhu after which the policemen were ordered to arrest us without allowing us prove our innocence.
“Here, UNICEM has a rule of no fighting and in anything as such, the guilty one is to be immediately relieved of his or her duty, our company’s agreement with them is that when anything get missing our company will take charge of replacing it but as we speak the way Michael was treated is very bad that is how this Chinese people treat people without respect and regards. Let the community and any good spirited individual come into this matter because one day we will wake up to find out no indigene is gainfully employed by community slot which is what gave our company the job with Sinoma”.
When CrossRiverWatch contacted the director of Security of Manhattan to Sinoma, Engineer Asi Otu Iso he said, “You are grossly misinformed, I can’t talk to you until I get directives from my boss to talk to you, you are grossly misinformed”.
When CrossRiverWatch tried to reach Mr. Zhu, his line was switched off .
As at the time of filing this report, the legal team of Mr. Zhu Jun (Amah, Okon and Associates) had replied the counsel to Michael Nkem claiming that their client stole the missing cable.
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