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ENUGU COMMUNITY CRIES OVER ALLEGED INCESSANT POLICE HARASSMENT OF INDIGENES, CALLS FOR STATE GOVT INTERBENTION
Agunese-Mmaku Community in Awgu local government area of Enugu State has cried out over alleged incessant harassment of some people of the area by officials of the Enugu State Command of Nigerian Police Force.
At the end of an emergency general meeting of the Town Union held on Sunday, September 1, the community expressed concern over alleged ncessant harassment, arrest and incarceration of some of their sons on trumped-up allegations.
In a statement jointly signed by the President General of the Town Union, and Secretary General, Arc, Simon Okike and Okolo Nobert Anba-Nebo respectively, the community alleged that three of their sons, Messrs Theophilus Chukwu, David Okey and Vincent Okafor had been languishing in various detention centres in Enugu State.
According to them, “presently, other sons of our community are hounded by the police, they further alleged, stressing that the “circumstances leading to their arrests and detention were predicated on an extant matter, which the community had discussed and rested and directed all parties to sheath their swords and give peace a chance for the development of the community”.
They claimed that the Town Union had made several attempts to resolve any remaining issues and restore peace in the community prominent among which were the peace meetings of 7th of January 2023 and 7th January 2024, in addition to numerous consultations with all stakeholders.
The statement further read: “While we make bold to say that there are no personal issues between the affected persons, we also wish to state categorically that the issues in question had to do with disagreements over modalities for electing Town Union executives in 2021.
“The crime committed by those presently being hounded into detention is that they, as many others, insisted that the Town Union should be independent, even while it works in concert with the traditional stool, for the overall development of our community.
“We are therefore shocked that even when the entire community had discussed and resolved this matter, certain vested interests that feel the Town Union must be an extension of their realm are busy investing resources and time to ensure that all those that canvassed for an independent Town Union are put out of circulation with neither cause their actions nor reason their guide.
“We therefore make the following declarations concerning the unhealthy developments presently happening in our community:
“1. Condemn in the strongest terms the arrest and detention of or people by the Enugu State Police Command particularly Messrs Theophilus Chukwu. David Okeke and Barr Vincent Okafor on trumped-up charges without investigation or prosecution.
“2. The police insinuation that the arrested men were involved in war-like activities in our community and using guns and cutlasses to pursue our traditional ruler, Igwe Cyprian Nevobasi is untrue, unfounded, baseless and an attempt to give a dog a bad name just to hang it.
“3. That the persons mentioned as allegedly perpetrating these acts capable of breaching public peace in our community are responsible and highly-placed members of our community and never visited the village within the period in question.
“4. That the said allegation never happened on that said date or on any other date in Agunese. We are persuaded that this is the handiwork of mischief makers who are bent on heating up our community and planting the seeds of discord among our people.
Actions Sought
Based on the foregoing, the Agunese-Mmaku Development Union General Assembly makes the following appeals:
- The Nigerian Police should stop further arrests and detention of our people as this is creating enormous tension in our community and capable of further breaching our peace.
- The Nigerian Police should, without delay, release those already in their custody
- The Nigerian Police should urgently unmask the faceless petitioners and compel them to prove the veracity of their claims or face the full weight of the law
- That the Enugu State Government, through the appropriate Ministry should intervene in this matter and ensure lasting peace in our community.
Reactions from the state police command could not be obtained as at press time as calls placed on the state PPRO did not go.
