By CHIMEZIE ANASO

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Baba Akali, to ensure a thorough investigation of the allegation of organ harvesting and rights abuse against two Police formations in Anambra.

Mr Okechukwu Nwangwuma, Executive of RULAAC, made the call at a meeting of Anambra Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum (PSPF) in Awka on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Rapid Response Squad Annexe, formerly SARS, Awkuzu, and Zone 13 Headquarters, Ukpo, were in February alleged to be involved in illegal detention, kidnapping, extrajudicial killing and human organ harvesting.

Days later, Akali set up a panel to probe the allegation while Gov. Chukwuma Soludo on his part, directed the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to review all case files handled by the RRS and Zone 13, Ukpo.

Nwangwuma expressed worry that more than one month after the allegations of unprofessional conducts were made against the two formations, nothing had been heard about the investigation, validity or otherwise, from the Police authority.

The Executive Director said PSPF would like to meet with the IGP investigation team to monitor progress and ensure that the cases of human rights abuse on the citizens were not swept under the carpet.

He said investigating the matter and making the findings public would go a long way to assure the public that Police were their friend and that positive lessons had been learnt from the EndSARS experience.

“It is unfortunate that the things that gave rise to EndSARS are still happening today. We still have cases of unlawful arrests, illegal detention, extortion and disappearance of people.

“Here in Anambra, there was a story of organ harvesting by the RRS and serious human rights abuse by Zone 13 Headquarters, Ukpo. Sadly nothing has been heard, and we understand that some of the accused are all back to their duty posts.

“I want to appreciate the IGP for setting up an investigative panel on the matter, but we are worried by the silence of that committee, we want to meet with them and work with them,” he said.

Nwangwuma said respect for human rights is an irreducible minimum for policing a people in a civilised society.

Meanwhile, some family members of victims of alleged abuse by Police have urged the civil society to help unravel the disappearance of their relations.

The witnesses, who gave separate accounts about how their male sons were whisked away from their homes, said they had not returned after about a year.

On his part, Mr Chris Azor, coordinator of PSPF in Anambra, said the forum was formed to engender greater synergy between the Community and the Police.

Azor said the civil society would continue to elicit quality feedback from the Community to help the Police perform better while assuring that human rights cases would not be allowed to go uninvestigated and punished.

He commended RULAAC for organising the interface while noting that the issues raised would be escalated to the Police for necessary actions and remedies. (NAN)

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