Juliana Francis
Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has demanded that Police should be transparent in its investigation following the arrest of a 26-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Emeh Nnamdi, believed to be among those who blew the whistle on a police squad in Anambra State Police Command, alleged to be carrying out extrajudicial killings of detainees, kidnapping, extortion, among other allegations.
It will be recalled that four senior police officers in the Anambra State Police Command were accused on the Gistlover Platform of extrajudicial killings, kidnapping, extortion, and harassment.
In the heat of the allegations, the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, constituted a panel to investigate the allegations raised against the police team, a panel which many Nigerians had openly scorned and said would never indict the policemen even if they were found guilty.
During that period, a voice note purportedly meant only for the ears of the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, was leaked, and uploaded on the internet.
In the voice note, a man who claimed to have worked with the team talked about an investigation, which he went with the team and how some exhibits were diverted, and millions of naira moved from the suspect’s account.
Following the voice note, the police believed it recognised the voice and likely knew the person accusing the police squad. It was later alleged that this person, named Emeh Nnamdi, is a tech genius, a corps member, who had worked closely with the team.
The Police had thereafter declared him wanted.
Nnamdi, due to his closeness to the team, apparently knew their activities, but a report, believed to have been uploaded on the internet by the police, gave another slant to the story, with the report hinting that Nnamdi moved the suspect’s money from his account and then set the team up to take the fall for the crime.
The police, who initially believed that the said Nnamdi was also the much talked about Gistlover publisher, had declared him wanted.
Last weekend, news filtered out that Nnamdi had been arrested. However, the belief and theory that he is the mysterious Gistlover publisher collapsed following the constant uploading of information on the Gistlover platform, even while Nnamdi was in police custody.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, reacting to the arrest of the corps member, said: “RULAAC has taken note of the report of the arrest of the 26-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member Emeh Nnamdi, who was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force on February 20, 2023, for ‘impersonation of an Assistant Superintendent of Police and defamation of character.’
“This is the same fellow who made revelations about the existence of an alleged criminal cartel of police officers in Zone 13 Ukpo and Anambra State CID Annex (former Awkuzu SARS), involved in unlawful detention, torture and extrajudicial killing, stealing, and conversion of property of executed detainees in their custody.
“The Nigeria Police Force had invited to the Force Headquarters the accused police officers including Chief Superintendent of Police Patrick Chukwuemeka Agbazue, who is a former O/C SARS, Awkuzu and currently the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu; a Superintendent of Police, Princess Nwode Nkeiruka, who is a former Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Anambra State Police Command and currently the PPRO for Zone 13 Headquarters, Ukpo; and Inspector Harrison Akama, also attached to the RRS, Awkuzu, Anambra State, among others. They were allowed to go home the same day.
“Their accuser and whistleblower have been arrested and detained at the Force Headquarters. The Force PRO announced that an investigation team set up by the IGP to investigate the allegations by the whistle-blower is currently investigating the allegations.
“Civil society is closely monitoring the investigation of both the allegations against the police officers and the whistleblower who has been arrested and is currently in custody.
“The investigation of both sides must be transparent, impartial, exhaustive and effective. The detained whistle-blower must not be subjected to any form of torture or ill-treatment. He must be accorded all the due process guarantees and safeguards against abuse of his fundamental human rights. The IGP should facilitate his access to legal support as mandated by the Police Act. We want to see the truth unravelled and justice is done. There should be no cover-up or shielding of any person found to be involved in any crime.”
