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From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
A human rights group in Anambra State with offices in Awka, Lagos and Abuja, under the auspices of Corruption Watch, has petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Anambra over what it called unlawful arrest of three suspects on criminal charges.
In the petition made available to the press, Head of the human rights organisation, Chief Chuks Ogbuka, said Messers Kanayochukwu Ezedigwe (24), Osorachukwu Nwaenyi (34) and Chukwu Ezeonu (27), all from Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of the State, were unlawfully arrested and had been detained at the Awkuzu facility of the police since February 12, 2023 without charging them to court.
Chief Ogbuka alleged that the police demanded N600,000 from each of the suspects for bail. He said Mrs Ezenwenyi, Ezedigwe and Ezeonu, mothers of the suspects, respectively, who he described as poor widows, were worried.
“The three widows mentioned have been making frantic efforts to get their children released by the SCIB (police) since February 12, 2023. But, unfortunately, their efforts proved abortive because they could not afford the bail money. We wrote a petition duly submitted to the office of the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, and duly acknowledged on aThursday, in March, 2023.
“The point we want to make here is that some of the police officers are lords unto themselves and their attitudes portray the entire police in Nigeria in a very bad shape.
“In our petition to the Commissioner of Police, we stated that three young men from Nnobi were arrested on February 12, 2023 and, till date, they are still in police custody on flimsy excuses. Has the 48 hours stipulated by law not been violated? And they are demanding an outrageous sum of N600,000 from each of the young men. We are asking questions and it’s our demand that the young men should be released unconditionally, “ Chief Ogbuka concluded.
