…urges IGP to fish out erring policemen for punishment
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has condemned the invasion of the offices of ABC Transport Company along Eta Agbo Street in Calabar, Cross River State and the unprovoked attacks on staff of the transport company and their neighbours.
According to the Executive Director of RULAAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, these attacks on hapless Nigerian citizens were carried out by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police in Calabar on Thursday, November 10, 2022.
It was gathered that the policemen attacked the transportation company’s staff because their colleagues’ waybill was delayed.
Nwanguma said: “According to information from officials of the company and from video records of the incident, men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Calabar armed with weapons including guns, machetes and sticks descended viciously on the staff of the company, attacked them together with passengers and staff of other neighbouring businesses on the said date causing serious damage and grievous harm. The attack was said to have been based on a claim by the police invaders that a friend to one of their colleagues had a waybill that was delayed by the ABC Bus transport. As revealed in one of the videos, the police officers ignored pleas and explanations being offered to them by some transport company staff and continued to brutalise them and destroyed property.”
Nwanguma noted that after the policemen inflicted damage on property and injured several staff and others within the scene, they arrested the Manager and some other staff of the ABC Transport service and detained them at their station.
He added: “RULAAC is concerned that the conduct of the police officers amounts to an unjustifiable act of unprovoked aggression and display of raw power. The reason for the police action was purely a civil matter that did not warrant or justify police intervention let alone the level of violence unleashed by the officers. Their action was unprofessional and unlawful considering that the Police Act 2020 expressly prohibits police officers from dabbling into civil matters such as this. The delay of a waybill could have been resolved through civil means. It should not call for violence, assault, abuse of firearms and arrest and detention of workers of ABC Transport service. The attack on the staff of the company and others amount to a gross violation of their fundamental rights to a fair hearing, liberty, personal safety and human dignity. The continued exhibition of a reckless show of power, abuse and violence indicates that the lessons of #EndSARS are lost on many police officers who continue to revel in impunity. While we acknowledge that police authorities have demonstrated increased determination to curb impunity, the message needs to be made louder and clearer that excesses, misuse of police powers and abuse of human rights will no longer be tolerated or condoned as they deepen public resentment and deny the police public support.”
RULAAC urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman Baba, to order the identification and arrest of all the personnel involved in the discreditable conduct for investigation and appropriate punishment.
The IGP was also urged to order the immediate release of the arrested staff of ABC Transport and others including passengers and staff of neighbouring businesses and ensure compensations and remedies for the victims including medical treatment for those wounded and public apology.
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