The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has raised the alarm over a circulating video featuring the Traditional Ruler of Ihitteaforukwu, HRM Eze Dr Okwudiri Divine Nwandu, seated beside a victim of a recent police shooting.
While the monarch acknowledged the victim’s innocence, RULAAC is questioning the “professionalism” attributed to the police operatives involved in the incident, calling on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Olatunji Disu, to probe the shooting incident and rescue the victim.
The victim, Mr Kenneth Nnamdi Anyanwu, a Lagos-based resident who had returned to his community only two days prior, was shot on April 13, 2026.
In the video, the Traditional Ruler commended the police for their conduct, a move that RULAAC describes as a troubling attempt to shape public perception in the face of grave human rights violations.
“It is deeply contradictory and frankly insulting to commend as ‘professional’ an operation where an unarmed, innocent civilian was shot and left with life-threatening injuries,” stated Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of RULAAC. “Professional policing is measured by adherence to the law and the proportional use of force, not by post-incident attempts to manage the consequences of a botched operation.”
Nwanguma further highlighted that the video remains conspicuously silent on the identity of the officer alleged to have pulled the trigger, identified as Chinedu Iwueke, who reportedly robbed the victim of ₦47,000 following the shooting. RULAAC also noted that the monarch failed to address the whereabouts of another individual, Mr Uchechukwu Maduakolam, who was apprehended during the same operation and remains missing.
The advocacy group expressed particular concern over the alleged involvement of the palace’s “Royal Guards” and key aides, including the Secretary to the Eze, Mr Emeka Emetubelem, and the Chief of Staff, Mr Kelechi Mbakwe. Reports suggest this unregulated security apparatus has been used for intimidation and coercion within the community.
“Justice cannot be managed through carefully curated narratives or hospital room optics,” Nwanguma added. “We are calling for the immediate identification and prosecution of Officer Chinedu Iwueke, the provision of urgent medical care for Mr Anyanwu, and a full investigation into the unregulated ‘Royal Guards’ operating under the palace structure.”
RULAAC is demanding that the Nigerian Police Force and relevant authorities conduct a transparent and independent investigation into the April 13 operation to ensure that those responsible for the shooting and the subsequent alleged extortion are held to account.
The organisation remains firm that symbolic gestures from traditional authorities cannot substitute for the rule of law.
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