By Okechukwu Nwanguma
What happened in Alaukwu, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, on April 12, 2025, is not just another story of police brutality. It is a grotesque violation of law and conscience that stains the image of Abia State and Nigeria as a whole.
On that day, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Abia State Police Command stormed the home of 63-year-old Sunday Chikadibia. They broke down doors, looted property, and abducted him along with his three daughters – Glory, Ngozi, and Ogechi. Their crime? Nothing. Their “offence” was being related to the young man whom the police claimed to be looking for but could not find.
Let’s be clear: the Nigeria Police Act 2020 explicitly prohibits arrest by proxy. Yet here we are – father and daughters held in place of another, secretly charged with terrorism, remanded in prison, and abandoned without fair hearing or evidence. For weeks, the police denied they were even in custody.
If that was not enough, the police returned and demolished the family’s home. In the wake of these brutalities, the wife and mother, Mrs. Chioma Chikadibia, succumbed to depression and died on August 8, 2025. A family destroyed. A life cut short.
And what is the Abia State Government’s response? A shocking betrayal of justice. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Attorney General (AG) reportedly reviewed the case and found no evidence against the victims. Yet, instead of dropping the sham charges, they insists on filing information in court to prosecute them anyway. On what basis? On what evidence? This is not law – it is face-saving, cover-up, and complicity in injustice.
Governor Alex Otti cannot afford to remain silent. He must intervene. This is not only about one family. This is about whether the rule of law means anything in Abia State. This is about whether citizens can sleep in their homes without fear of abduction by those meant to protect them.
Mr. Chikadibia’s health is deteriorating in detention. His daughter Ogechi, a final-year student at IMT Enugu, is about to miss her exams and lose a year of her education because of this travesty. The family’s livelihood is gone, their home reduced to rubble, and their dignity trampled upon.
One life has already been lost in this reckless abuse of power. How many more lives must go before justice is done?
*Governor Otti must:*
– Order an immediate review and release of the detainees.
– Investigate the unlawful raid, abduction, and demolition.
– Hold the police officers and their commanders accountable.
– Provide remedies and compensation to the surviving family.
– Ensure that Ogechi is enabled to sit for her examinations.
Anything less would mean endorsing lawlessness and impunity. Anything less would mean that in Abia State, the police can abduct, torture, and destroy families without consequence.
The Chikadibia case is a litmus test. Will Abia under Otti stand for justice, or will it descend into tyranny dressed up as law enforcement? The world is watching.
