The rising cases of reported acts of police brutality, harassment, and extortion against innocent citizens by operatives of the Nigeria Police' Rapid Response Squad (RRS), in Aba, Abia State, has drawn the attention of a pro-democracy group, which has described the trend as both "alarming and unacceptable."

According to the group, the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), in a press release dated May 23, 2025, the growing trend is "a gross violation of the rights of residents and a betrayal of the primary duty of the police ? to protect lives and property."

The group in the statement signed by the Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, said eyewitness accounts of torture, indiscriminate arrests, illegal detention, and extortion by the said operatives not only undermines public trust in the states' security apparatus, but also poses a serious threat to civil liberties, the rule of law, and democratic values in Abia State.

FENRAD therefore called on the Police Service Commission (PSC), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and relevant oversight bodies to take urgent action and ensure justice is served, while also demanding that victims of this inhumane treatment be identified and compensated accordingly.

They called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately order a full-scale, transparent investigation into this incident and ensure that those found culpable are arrested and prosecuted without delay. "Anything short of this will be seen as a tacit endorsement of lawlessness within the ranks of the police," the release said.

As a way forward, FENRAD suggests that a "standing human rights monitoring mechanism be established to oversee police operations in Aba and other urban centres," promising to continue to "raise our voices against impunity, and calling for institutional reforms that place human dignity at the centre of policing."

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