Northumbria University lecturer’s raid horror

Jul 11 2009 by Kevin Donald, The Journal

A UNIVERSITY lecturer and his young family were left sobbing and terrified when police smashed into their home in a bungled drugs raid.

Dr Ike Ogbar, 35, was handcuffed and had to plead to be allowed to see his six-year-old daughter who was left cowering in her bedroom.

Dr Ogbar, a senior lecturer in marketing and marketing strategy, has now received an apology from the police, who confessed within minutes: “We got the wrong house.”

Through tears, Dr Ogbar described his family’s ordeal, which began at 7.30am yesterday in their home in Newcastle.

The Nigerian Northumbria University lecturer was at home with wife Faith, also 35, their sons aged nine and eight and their little girl.

He said: “I was getting ready for work and the children were readying themselves for school, it was an entirely normal morning. My daughter was just out of the bath and running to her room to dress when there were three massive bangs. It felt as though the house was falling down.

“I rushed downstairs dressed only in my jeans and was confronted by five heavily-built police officers in helmets and riot clothing. One of them was holding the battering ram they used to smash my front door down.

“I was grabbed and handcuffed and told: ‘You need to keep quiet and cooperate.’

“I was in shock but I was worried for my family. My wife and children were terrified, they were crying and confused.

“One of the officers led me by the belt on my trousers into my living room. Two other policemen had already taken Faith and the boys into there and had made them sit together on the sofa.

“It was then I started panicking over my daughter, I knew how frightened she would be and she wasn’t with us.