A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Friday called on the state government to immediately arrest and prosecute the suspended Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area in Anambra State, Mbazulike Iloka, over the alleged battery of his wife.

National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who made the call in a statement, described as “too lenient and a tap on the wrist,” the suspension of the local government chairman by Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo.

The group said the mildness of the governor was at variance with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act domesticated in Anambra in 2017 which criminalised all types of violence against persons, and offering protection and remedies for victims.

HURIWA warned that the matter must not be swept under the carpet for political reasons and therefore tasked the Nigeria Police Force to effect the arrest of the suspected wife-batterer and alleged killer.

“HURIWA is serving the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba, a 78 hours notice to Direct the immediate arrest of the alleged wife beater and alleged killer so the matter is handled professionally by the Gender Unit domiciled in the Office of the IGP,” Onwubiko said

The rights group warned the law enforcement agencies of the danger of collecting “blood money” and undermining the cause of justice of the matter, adding that if the IGP fails to act decisively, “then he has railroaded himself into the national black book of infamy that the group would launch soon.

An outrage had met the controversial death of IIoka’s wife, Chidiebere, last Sunday, barely a few days after he was sworn in as Nnewi North LGA TC chairman.

According to reports, the deceased slumped and died after serving her husband’s breakfast but neighbours suspected that Iloka may have killed his wife, as he allegedly had a record of battering her. Photos of the deceased showed signs of violence.

The Anambra State Government subsequently suspended IIoka for “investigation and justice.”

In his reaction to the development and government’s reaction, Onwubiko said: “The suspension of Mbazulike Iloka by the state government is not enough. Governor Chukwuma Soludo must order the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of this suspected killer. Anything short of this is leniency taken too far.

“According to neighbours and photos of the deceased, the suspect is an alleged habitual domestic violent husband. Such persons should not be treated with kid gloves but the firm hand of the law in consonance with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) domesticated in Anambra in 2017.

“Anambra is notorious for domestic and gender-based violence in homes, churches, offices, markets, motor parks, and even in commercial buses. The Governor must send a strong warning to the aggressors by publicly shaming the LG boss within the ambit of the law. An autopsy must be carried out immediately and the outcome must not be compromised. There must be no cover-ups.

“Recall that another South-Easterner from Imo State and popular gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, died controversially early 2022 after her husband, Peter Nwachukwu, allegedly battered her, going by the testimonies of the victim’s sisters and children. Just as Peter is currently being prosecuted, Iloka must be tried to serve as strong deterrence to other wife-batterers.

“Anambra must also go beyond domesticating the VAPPA Act to enforcing it and prosecuting offenders in tandem with its components. Anambra must contribute a quota in reducing national statistics of sexual and gender-based violence cases which the National Human Rights Commission put at 1.7 million in 2021 alone whilst many cases have gone unreported,” Onwubiko said.

“HURIWA is asking NAPTIP to step into the matter just as the wife of the President is being tasked to wake up and defend the oppressed women of Nigeria. HURIWA wonders why Mrs. Aisha Buhari is alleged to be hibernating in Dubai, UAE, whilst hundreds of thousands of Nigerian women are subjected to horrendous regime of torment and brutal human rights abuses in their homes and places of works.

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