RULAAC petitions PSC against arrest, harassment of Anambra community people
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Police Service Commission (PSC) against alleged illegal arrest, intimidation and highhandedness by police on the people of Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government of Anambra.
RULAAC made the call in a petition to the Chairman PSC dated Aug 19 urging him to prevail on the Inspector General of Police to call an Inspector (name withheld) in the Admin Unit of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Force Headquarters, and others to order.
The petition which was signed by Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of RULAAC was made available to journalists in Awka on Wednesday.
It said the arrest and detention was against a court order stopping the Police from further harassment, arrest and detention of members of the community as the matter was currently before the Awka Federal High Court which granted the accused bail.
RULAAC accused the Inspector of involvement in police-for-hire hatchet job, obstruction of justice, and shielding notorious members of the community who were facing trial for murder and attempted murder of their kinsmen over a community dispute.
“This Inspector, in a brazen display of raw powers, has been hounding the petitioners who are also family members of the victims of murder and attempted murder with their supporters, and preventing them from attending court to pursue their cases against the accused persons.
“As part of the machinations to keep the petitioners away from court, the said Inspector was also alleged to have masterminded the gazette of the names of 12 members of the community and obtained a dubious court order from far away Nasarawa State.
“This Court which is outside the jurisdiction of the alleged crimes declared them wanted for alleged ‘conspiracy, murder, armed robbery, act of terrorism, kidnapping, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms, house breaking, burglary, malicious damage, and conduct likely to cause breach of public peace in Isuaniocha’.
“On the basis of this orchestrated order declaring them wanted without ever being invited by the police, this Inspector went on a hounding spree, arrested, detained, arraigned and secured the remand of several members of the community without evidence to prosecute them for the alleged crimes.
“No less than 33 innocent citizens of the community were arrested and detained or remanded,” he said .
RULAAC said the same Senior District Court of Nasarawa State of Nigeria holden at Mararaba-Gurlu had by a counter Order dated Sept. 9, 2023 reversed its earlier Order issued in favour of the Nigeria Police declaring the Applicants wanted and ordered the police not to use the previous order to arrest members of the community.
“Unfortunately, financiers of the Inspector’s have resorted to write fresh petitions to other police units and formations to continue to harass and keep away their kinsmen from continuing to pursue their cases in court against them.
“RULAAC urged the PSC Chairman to ensure that the IGP called the Inspector and others to order to stop the harassment and violation of the rights of the petitioners, and to treat previous petitions to both the IGP and the PSC concerning the alleged.
