. . . Commends exemplary officers

By TINA TIMOTHY

Following a petition on March 22, 2024 regarding the March 11, 2024 unlawful invasion of the AGMAC Mixed Students’ Hostel of the ChukwuemekaOdumegwuOjukwu University, Igbariam Campus in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State by a six-member police personnel attached to the Anambra State Police Command’s Anti Cult Department of the State CID (SPACS), the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has commended the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Anambra State Police Command’s Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), DCP Akin FakoredeEsquire, ACP Okosisi as well as the immediate past Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Retired CP AderemiAdeoye for their exemplary handling of the petition.

Describing the manner in which the unlawful invasion at 3a.m took place, Intersociety, said "they (the students) were not only arrested in their sleep but also beaten mercilessly and bundled away without a specific direction until they were landed at Obosi SPACS Unit where they were orally accused of being “cultists” or “cultists’ girlfriends” if female."

The statement reads: "The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), Nigeria’s leading research and investigative Human Rights Advocacy Organization since 2008 is thanking the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Anambra State Police Command’s Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), DCP Akin Fakorede Esquire and his colleague, ACP Okosisi as well as the immediate past Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Retired CP AderemiAdeoye. The serving and retired senior police officers are singled out for commendation over their exemplary handling of our public interest petition, addressed to Anambra State CP AderemiAdeoye (as he then was). The petition, dated March 22, 2024, was filed regarding the ungodly and unlawful hour (3.amin the morning) invasion by a six-member criminal police personnel attached to the Anambra State Police Command’s Anti Cult Department of the State CID (SPACS) during which the AGMAC Mixed Students’ Hostel was attacked. The AGMAC Hostel of the ChukwuemekaOdumegwuOjukwu University, Igbariam Campus is in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.

"The invasion had taken place in the hours of the blue law or3.amon Monday, March 11, 2024 during which more than 30 defenseless students were attacked in their sleep including young female students in their naked and night wears. The Gestapo-styled operation saw the security wires of the Hostel’s perimeter fencing cut off amidst rain of live bullets and students’ hostel windows and doors pulled down with jack booths, “Monday Hammers” and other iron metals. Some smart phones belonging to the victim-students were also seized or damaged beyond repair. The over 30 victim-students were later rounded up, cramped, and squeezed in about hired or seized commercial vehicles and taken to the SPACS, Obosi Unit where they were beaten mercilessly and randomly forced to pay unlawful huge sums of money ranging from N30,000, N40,000, N50,000 to N70,000. They were also forced at gunpoint to cough out the amounts in cash through ‘partners-in-crime POS operators’ nearby; and in the end, the victim-students were hurriedly forced out of the Obosi SPACS Unit after having been forced to cumulatively pay an estimated over N1.2m.

"By the time the Intersociety team: Comrades ChinenyeNwamebe and ChibuezeNwajiaku arrived the Obosi SPACS Unit having visited several police locations in search to no avail; our team met only about 12 stranded victim-students who narrated what transpired. The arrested student-victims said they were not only arrested in their sleep but also beaten mercilessly and bundled away without a specific direction until they were landed at Obosi SPACS Unit where they were orally accused of being “cultists” or “cultists’ girlfriends” if female. After having been extorted of various huge amounts, they were never asked to report back or have their statement files opened and their statements taken. As if the above was not enough, the perpetrator-officers and their Obosi SPACS Unit Leader, SUPOL Danladi, made several attempts to cover up their dastardly act including hiring hatchet media writers to to try to publicly demonize us and paint a scenario that “Intersociety lied and misinformed the Anambra CP (as he then was) in its petition”. The hatchet writers also falsely claimed in their publications that “the arrested victims were hoodlums hiding under the cover of undergraduate students at Ukwulu including cultists, prostitutes, drug addicts, kidnappers, etc.” and that “they were caught at their time of arrest with dangerous weapons including knives, Indian hemps, condoms, etc.”

"Following our referenced petition of March 22, 2024 which was followed up, the immediate past CP (AderemiAdeoye) communicated us directly and detailed the petition to the State CID for investigation. Signals were later sent across to us and on May 1, 2024, we dispatched Comrades ChinenyeNwamebe and ChibuezeNwajiaku to meet with ACP Okosisi of the State CID. The meeting continued thereafter during which signals were also sent to the affected students to come to testify, out of which, only five of them appeared. The meeting continued on Thursday, May 9, 2024 and was concluded on Friday, May 10, 2024 during which six of the culpable Obosi SPACS Unit personnel and their Unit’s leader, 2/IC SUPOL Danladi appeared for defense. The criminal police SPACS officers attempted a cover-up by appearing with Indian Hemps, fake charms, and knives, etc., as “exhibits recovered from the hoodlums”.

"When asked by the DCP, State CID to identify the specific suspects they claimed to have taken into custody and made to volunteer statements, the appearing perpetrator-officers failed woefully to do so. There was also no evidence in their hands showing that any of the arrested and heavily extorted students was granted bail with identifiable particulars of someone standing as a surety; and evidence showing that the arrested students were granted bail and made to be undergoing criminal investigation as “suspected cultists”.”

Intersociety further commended its personnel who interfaced with the force as well as the 8 student-victims who turned up for the matter but maintained that the culprits be dismissed to serve as deterrent to others, adding that "it is therefore not enough to get the six culpable Obosi SPACS Personnel and their leader, 2/IC SUPOL Danladi to refund part of the N1.2m unlawfully collected from defenseless and vulnerable victim-students."

"In the last meeting (Friday, May 10, 2024) between the perpetrator-SPACS Personnel and our two Comrades (Nwamebe and Nwajiaku) and eight of the student-victims at the State CID presided over by the DCP in charge, Barr Akin Fakorede and his colleague, ACP Okosisi; the criminal SPACS Personnel accompanied by 2/IC Obosi SPACS Unit, SUPOL Danaladi, the sum of N300,000 was recovered from the perpetrator-police officers. The DCP regretted that other victim-students failed to show up except three that appeared at the eleventh hour and joined the first five. The commended DCP-SCID maintained that “he cannot work on invincible victims of crime” and thereafter shared the recovered N300,000 equal among the eight victim-students-with each of them receiving N37,500. In the end, DCP Akin Fakorede commended the leadership of Intersociety for its leadership courage and steadfastness. Names of the eight recipient-students are: EgonokwuChibuike Mikel, TobechukwuChiwuzie, ChineduOsigwe, TobechukwuOnyeka, Emmanuel Chigozie, Henry IkwunneTochukwu, KelechiOgubuehi and Henry Chimaobi.

"It is therefore not enough to get the six culpable Obosi SPACS Personnel and their leader, 2/IC SUPOL Danladi to refund part of the N1.2m unlawfully collected from defenseless and vulnerable victim-students of the ChukwuemekaOdumegwu-Ojukwu University, Igbariam Campus; the perpetrator-police officers should also be severely punished to serve as deterrent to other erring police officers particularly others holding forth as operatives and officers-in-charge of various police crack squads across the State. We hereby call on the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Anambra State Police Command’s Criminal Investigations Department to wield a big stick on those officers that were indicted and found wanting when they appeared before him during his investigation and interface with our Comrades and the student-victims. Among the perpetrator-Police SPACS Personnel are the serving Police Superintendents and Inspectors. Failure to heed to our informed clarion call in record time may leave us with no other option than to drag them including the two top officers of the State CID to the Police Service Commission and the National Human Rights Commission. Singled out for special commendation are our own Comrades ChinenyeNwamebe and ChibuezeNwajiaku as well as eight of the affected students; namely: EgonokwuChibuike Mikel, TobechukwuChiwuzie, ChineduOsigwe, TobechukwuOnyeka, Emmanuel Chigozie, Henry IkwunneTochukwu, KelechiOgubuehi and Henry Chimaobi. They truly represent societal agents of change of today and tomorrow and must be exemplarily emulated by all and sundry to make the Society a better place,” Intersociety stated.