A non-governmental Civil Society Project has called on the Inspector General of Police to intervene in what it describe as a deliberate Miscarriage of Police Investigation at Ugwuafor Akpugo community in Nkanu East local government area of Enugu state.
In a statement made available to UgamaTV and by signed by JMCC OGBUKA (AciArb, Fci) the group faulted the arrested and prosecution of 6 security personnel hired by to protect the community and Hon. Gabriel Solomon Edeh, Councillor ward 4 Nkanu west and Mr. Uchenna Nnamchi, National Youth Leader of the community by the Igwe.
According to the statement, community leaders were taken into custody without any proper justification or evidence of wrongdoing, raising serious questions about the abuse of power and violation of human rights.
“…This was how both the 1st to 6th and 7th to 8th defendants in charge No: MEN/376C/2023 all ended up as suspects in the case and were hurriedly pushed to court without any iota of investigation to either confirm the truth of the allegation by the Igwe of the community or confirm the innocence of the suspects in the light of Appendix A and B above. This was how these 8 innocent law abiding citizens found themselves in a court of law on the 24th day of October, 2023 with strange allegations/charges of conspiracy, possession of four unlicensed guns and the carrying out of a warlike undertaking in the community.
From the content of Appendix A above, it is evidently clear that the allegation of conspiracy and unlawful possession of four pump action guns without licensed was totally unfounded and unwarranted as the four pump action guns procured by the community for community security service were duly licensed by the office of the Inspector General of Police.
It is also evidently clear that apart from the Igwe of the community who levied the false allegation, there was no other person in the entire community whose statement supports the false allegation of a warlike undertaking against anybody in the community by anyone. There was equally no report whatsoever incident at the nearest police station, Division or Area Command in charge of the community of such an incident. Nobody was presented to the police as a victim of such an undertaking. In the absence of any statement of anyone in the community supporting the allegation or any recorded statement of any victim or would be victim of such an attack, the allegation is nothing but a deliberate false fabrication against innocent law abiding citizens.
The organisation accused the traditional ruler of the Community, Igwe John Idenyi Nwodo of high-handedness, abuse of power and attempt to hijack funds meant for community development.
“However, unknown to the company and its workers at work in the community, the Igwe of the Ugwuafor Akpugo Autonomous Community Igwe John Idenyi Nwodo was aggrieved that the Town Union Executives of the community did not allow him to have unregulated access to the community fund from where the Town Union paid the bill of the security company by being the sole signatory to the account and this made the traditional ruler of the community to level a deliberate false allegation to the Commissioner of Police that the employees of the company who were guarding his community were unknown gunmen and kidnappers who are at war against the people of his community.
Acting pursuant to that false petition by the Igwe of the community, the commissioner Of Police Enugu State through the Police Anti-Cult Unit of the police command on the 5th day of October, 2023 drove into the community and arrested the 1st to 6th defendants in the charge above attached and recovered the four pump action guns which they use for their work in the community.”
While faulting the unlawful arrest and detention of those who went to the Enugu state police command to bail the 6 security personnel, the group called on the Inspector General of Police to take immediate action to ensure the immediate release and discreet review of the matter.
“From the facts presented in this protest letter, it is evident that the actions and activities of the police in this case is devoid and bereft of any investigation whatsoever or at best nothing but a miscarriage of police investigation which grossly falls short of the minimum standard of police investigation expected of a state police Command.
In fact, the action of policemen in this case is obviously against the strategy and policy of community policing by the present administration of the Nigerian Police Force which encourages the collaborative efforts of citizens in the task of providing security in their various communities to aid the police.
It is in the light of all the foregoing that we most respectfully write to solicit your prompt and urgent intervention in this case through the appropriate directive by your office for the withdrawal of the unfounded charges against them and the arrest, detention and investigation of the Igwe over his deliberate false information to the police and unfounded allegation against the victim. ” The end.