…Squad allegedly backed by senior officers, behind attack Ifeanyi Uba, others
Juliana Francis
The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, on Friday 17th February 2023 ordered the arrest and transfer to the Force Headquarters, Abuja, members of the Police Killer Squad operating in Anambra State.
Although the accused officers, Patrick Chukwuemeka Agbaze, a Chief Superintendent of Police, Princess Nwode, a Superintendent of Police, Arthur Eze, and Inspector Harrison Akama, have been arrested and already facing a panel instituted by Baba, the accusations have not ceased.
It will be recalled that the officers were accused of running a squad where they use the power of their uniforms to carry out arbitrary arrests over trump-up charges.
There were further allegations of extrajudicial killings of their suspects just to take over their vehicles and money.
The latest accuser is Ugobuzo, who in a voice note, called on all Igbo people living in Ihiala, Nteje and Aguleri, who are looking for their missing loved ones to ask CSP Patrick about them.
He narrated thus: “People disappear daily in Anambra…they should know that CSP Patrick who stays and live in Awka sells human parts. He has one other person that works with him by the name Leggo. They are perpetrating all the insecurity in Awkuzu. They were given N5m and later N15m as a complete payment for kidnapping to institute a court case.
“He was also given a plot of land somewhere close to the airport side, but he asked them to sell the land and provide him with cash.
“The commissioner Echendi Echendi is aware of all this but he kept mute simply because Patrick remit to him. The attack on Ifeanyi Ubah, and his attempted assassination were all done and carried out by Patrick.”
Another accuser, who introduced himself as Ifeanyi Magnus, claimed that the alleged Police Killer Squad kidnapped his elder brother, who is based in Turkey.
He further claimed: “I will send you some evidence of how these daredevils kidnapped my elder brother who is based in Turkey.
“He came down to Nigeria for his mum’s burial on the 13th of January. They transferred all the money in his account into another account.
“I even had to pretend to be his customer in Turkey because my brother is into exchange business. This Patrick of a guy and his gang cleared his three bank accounts, and they kept chatting with people from his contact list to send more money.
“They were on this for three good weeks. They denied all they did to us till information gets to the deputy speaker of Anambra state before they allowed a lawyer to see him.
“We later gathered that they wanted to kill him after withdrawing all the money in his account. Not just that they went to his house and pack all the money in the house, gold, and drinks. Patrick denied all this when confronted but he masterminded it all.”
These accusations against the supposed police squad started and continued like torrential rainfall after Gistloverblog opened the alleged can of worms on the platform.
Anambra SARS before CSP Patrick was plagued by James Nwafor, who for some unfathomable reasons, relishes killing suspects, especially young detainees in his custody.
Ironically, his only son was allegedly killed by a unit in the same Anambra State Police Command after he had retired.
The death of his son broke him, and he was recalled to have said that the policemen should have charged the boy to court rather than kill him extrajudicially.
Extrajudicial killings by the police have become a cankerworm that urgently needs to be eradicated, rather than curtailed.
For years, journalists have written on these issues, but the Nigeria Police Force has not shown or taken a decisive step in fighting the scourge.
The reason for the police top hierarchy to keep turning blind eyes and deaf ears to these ills in the Force is not far fetch.
