Sir,

Please, Call Your Officers at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad to Order

My name is Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, A patriotic Nigerian. I am a native of Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State, but resides in the State Capital, Owerri, with my family.

I am a well-known socio-political crusader, critic and businessman in our society. I hold the unbeatable and unmatchable record of the most incorruptible political appointee in the history of Imo State Government, having returned unspent public funds to the coffers of the state government thirteen good times.

I am compelled to bring to your attention the wicked, unpatriotic, unloving and, indeed, ungodly attitude of your officers at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Imo State Police Command.

Two weeks ago, police officers at the Owerri North Police Station raided Bet-Naija premises and effected the arrest of some youths. The office is located at the Toronto junction. Officers reportedly acted on a tip-off concerning an alleged bad-boy who was seen around the Bet-Naija office. At their station in Owerri North, most of the youths arrested were bailed with the exception of the alleged bad-boy and two other innocent boys, who could not meet the ‘bail conditions’.

However, the three youths were transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the State Police Command the following day. At the SARS office, they were assigned an investigating police officer (IPO), whose name is Mr Uche, with telephone number 08064744517. They made statements, after interrogation. Few days later, the alleged bad-boy was granted bail. Also, one of the two innocent boys was equally granted bail. Only one person is now in the detention custody at SARS, due to his inability to ‘fulfill’ his bail conditions. The boy’s name is Kelechi Agoha. He has been in detention for two weeks and his poor father, Mr John Agoha, has plainly told the IPO that he has no money to take his son on bail. The IPO, thereafter, asked the father to go and look for the sum of N30,000 for his son’s bail, and that if he fails to bring the said sum of money, he would charge his son to court for armed robbery.

Sir, it was at this point the boy’s father (Mr Agoha) came in contact with me. He narrated everything to me and thereafter pleaded with me to raise money for him to go and bail his son. Of course, I objected and rather demanded for the phone number of the said IPO, Mr Uche.

I called Mr Uche (IPO) and introduced myself to him, and specifically demanded to know if the boy in their detention custody committed any crime. The IPO was not forthcoming with any reasonable answer. Nevertheless, I informed him that I would send the boys’ father to him with a little ‘token’ so that the boy would go home. Thereafter, I sent the boy’s father to the IPO with the ‘little token’. But, instead of accepting it bearing in mind that the boy committed no crime, Uche rejected the N10,000 token and even tongue-lashed the father for reporting the detention of his son to me. The IPO insisted that the boys’ bail must be N30,000, claiming that his superiors would partake in sharing it.

Mr Commissioner Sir, we all know that bail is free. Why then must officers of the Imo State Police Command be criminally extorting money from innocent members of the public?

This attitude of officers of the Imo Police Command can be likened to kidnapping. They will arrest (kidnap) innocent members of the public, detain them on fake charges (hostage-keeping) and, thereafter, demand ransom in the name of bail, which is actually free. Those who are unable to ‘fulfill their bail conditions’ (ransom payment) are charged to court and, thereafter, remanded in prison custody. This is the major reason why our prison facilities are over-congested, with innocent awaiting trial inmates.

Sir, I am, therefore, demanding that Kelechi is released from the custody of SARS without further delay. This is not the first time the SARS department would be drawing my attention to their wicked, unpatriotic, ungodly and unloving attitude towards innocent members of the public. In December 2016, the SARS department arrested an innocent man, Chief Ugochukwu Egbodike, and accused him of armed robbery and car-snatching. They tortured him almost to the point of death before information reached me. I reacted by declaring total war against the Imo State Police Command, but the then Commissioner of Police Mr Taiwo Lakanu (now an AIG) called me and passionately pleaded with me to sheathe my sword. He, thereafter, released and handed over Egbodike to me in his office.

I appeal to you, sir, to act wisely and release Kelechi, and also ensure that the IPO (Uche) and the Commander of SARS are decisively punished, for criminally detaining an innocent boy.

Let us join hands together to rid our society of criminal elements. Accept my Regards.

•Hon Dr. Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, FCAI MKDA, former Senior Special Assistant on Media/ex-Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, Imo State House of Assembly, wrote this Open Letter dated 19^th June, 2017, from owerri.

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