The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the unlawful arrest and indefinite detention of Mr. Alfred Friday by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Enugu State Command.
Despite formally petitioning the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, Mr. Mamman Giwa, and copying the Inspector General of Police (IGP), RULAAC reports that there has been no acknowledgement or response.
Equally concerning, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), who had verbally assured RULAAC of looking into the matter, has remained silent since then, with no concrete action taken.
“This case once again exposes the deep rot within Nigeria’s policing system—where officers disregard due process, defy oversight, and act with brazen impunity,” said Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of RULAAC. “What kind of system detains a citizen indefinitely without charge, denies access to legal counsel and family, and responds to inquiries with silence?”
In a disturbing development, officers have reportedly begun threatening Mr. Friday’s wife, pressuring her to withdraw the matter from court under the threat that he would otherwise be formally charged—treating prosecution as a tool of retaliation rather than justice.
The family’s lawyer, who visited the Anti-Kidnapping Squad on August 1, discovered the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) had been replaced without explanation. The new IPO provided no useful information, claiming that only the unit commander—who was reportedly away in Abuja—could grant access to the detainee.
RULAAC expressed grave concern that such practices, including swapping IPOs without justification and making a citizen’s basic rights subject to a commander’s travel schedule, reflect systemic abuse of power.
“Each day of silence by the PSC, the IGP, and other oversight bodies means another day Mr. Alfred Friday remains in illegal detention,” Nwanguma stated. “This is not just about Alfred Friday. It is about whether our country respects the rule of law at all.”
RULAAC has called for the immediate release of Mr. Friday or his prompt arraignment in court if there are credible charges. The organisation also demanded a clear, public response from the Police Service Commission, the IGP, and all relevant authorities.
“This is a moment of reckoning for Nigerian policing,” Nwanguma concluded. “Enough is enough.”
