Three residents of Uhuegu Village in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State have accused the police of engaging in illegal arrest, inhumane detention and degrading treatment after they refused to pay extra levies for a road project already underway by a philanthropist from a neighbouring village.

Vanguard learnt that the trio ? Charles Uche, Sunday Nwafor and Ebuka Okolie ? were assaulted by a group, allegedly mobilised by police officials. They also had N20,000 extorted from them before the police arrested them on charges of vandalising a community transformer and compelling residents to join a local group.

In spite of repeated appeals to the Police Service and the Inspector General of Police, the residents allege that senior officers ? including members of the AIG Force CID and the Deputy Commissioner of Police CID Annex in Enugu, along with officers Gabriel Ejinaka Nwankwonta, Francis Osita Nwobi, Ben Chukwu, Christian Nwankwo and Theophi Okeji ? continued to harass and intimidate them.

In light of these alleged human rights violations, the trio has filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit seeking N100 million in compensation and N10 million in general damages. They also seek a judicial declaration that the incessant harassment, molestation, dehumanising treatment, intimidation and consequential psychological torture and emotional trauma inflicted on them by the police and certain community members constitutes a breach of their fundamental rights as provided for in section 34(1a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples? Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Meanwhile, no hearing date has been fixed. (Saturday Vanguard)

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