By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A human rights group, Rule of Law, Accountability, Advocacy Center (RULAAC), has called on the Inspector General of Police to order an end to rampant cases of extrajudicial killings in Imo State. RULAAC also urged then IGP to order investigation into reported cases of extra-judicial killings in the state.

It alleged that extrajudicial Killings were still going on in Imo State Police Command in flagrant violation of the Police Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The group insisted that the duties and powers of the Police, as clearly stipulated in law, include arrest, investigation and prosecution of crime suspects, not summary execution or extrajudicial killing.

A statement by RULAAC Executive Director,Okechukwu Nwanguma, recalled that the agency had on December 19, 2021,received information concerning some suspects paraded and detained in Imo State for alleged involvement in kidnapping.

According to him, the family of one of the paraded suspects complained about their efforts to locate their family member and the denial by the Police of having him in their custody.

The statement partly read: "Facts available to RULAAC are that security agencies in Imo State recently paraded some persons accused of kidnapping. From the video which went viral, the family members saw their son, Ugochukwu Mba, but documentedin Police custody as Devine Gabriel, amongst those paraded.

“They briefed a law chambers in Owerri to help them find out what actually happened. Every effort by lawyers in the law chambers to locate the suspect in Police custody with a view to interviewing him and finding out the extent of his involvement proved abortive as the Police units visited, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, denied having him in their custody.

“The law chambers eventually officially applied in writing to both the Officer in Charge of Anti kidnapping which the officers refused to collect, and to the Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP). All these were happening in the week before Christmas.

“While the efforts by the family through their lawyers to see their son was ongoing with the Police still refusing to acknowledge having him in their custody, a source within the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of Imo State Police Command where the suspects were apparently held incommunicado called and advised the family to act fast because he overheard them saying they want to waste them. He advised them to do whatever they could do, and do it fast.

“In thenightof 25/12/21, the wife of the suspect called the lawyer, crying and informed him that she called her husband’s number 08035811346 and an officer who picked the call and identified himself as the IPO informed her that her husband, being the suspect, is dead. She asked how and when, but got no response. The officer switched off.”

Nwanguma accused security agencies of hiding under the pretext of fighting increasing insecurity in Imo State to carry out several extrajudicial executions, saying that in many instances, innocent persons are killed and their corpse not seen by their family members.

He described as unlawful and unconstitutional, Police arrest and killing of suspects without trial or conviction, when they are presumed innocent until found guilty.

He added: “The duties and powers of the police, as clearly stipulated in law, include arrest, investigation and prosecution of crime suspects. They do not include summary execution or extrajudicial killing.

“RULAAC calls on the Inspector General of Police to order a prompt and impartial investigation into this case with a view to ensuring justice and ultimately, bringing an end to the rampant cases of extrajudicial killing of suspects in Police custody, instead of charging them to court to face trial.”