The intervention of the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Human Right, Liberty Access and Defenders Found can (HURIDE),Deder Uzor A. Uzor, on Thursday led to setting free one Mr Chinemerem Onyema and Mr Christian Nwajiaku from Central Police Station, Onitsha.
Onyema was arrested at the popular Emeka Offor plaza, Onistha on Tuesday, and was accused of buying stolen phone from a suspect, while Nwajiaku was arrested by the police while returning from a church programme on Wednesday.
Dede Uzor, who led a team of Human Right activists to CPS, quickly contacted SP Ifeanyi Obulu, DPO in charge of CPS Onitsha, on hearing that an officer, Ms Nkechi Okwa was allegedly demanding N70,000 for the bail of Onyema.
SP Obulu and Divisional Crime Officer 3, DSP C. C. Okoronkwo, called on the suspected phone snatcher, to substantiate his earlier claim that Onyema bought the phone from him, and he said that he was not actually the buyer.
The suspect said he was advised by the two police who arrested him to indict Onyema. “He is not the person. I was told by two police officers to say he is the one since they couldn’t get the real buyer. That is why I lied and he was arrested,” he stated.
As a result, Okoronkwo ordered for a bail to be granted to Onyema unconditionally, while the suspect was made to sign caution form, stressing that he would be charged to court.
Onyema explained that he returned from village on Monday , where he had gone to discuss how to bury his late mother, only to be arrested by the police on Tuesday.
Mr Christian Nwajiaku, on part, was released unconditionally, having been established that he was wrongly arrested while returning from a Church programme with his tricycle.
A mild drama played out after they regained freedom as Nkechi Okwa, who was not around when the bail was granted, and insisted on using a Search Warrant(SW) she said she raised for the suspect.
Dede Uzor and his team, told her she would not been making use of it as it has been overtaken by event. In the event of argument, Onyema's siblings alleged that her threats was due to their refusal to pay in a sum of N70,000 she had told them to pay before he could be granted bail.
“We pleaded with her to collect N50,000 because our brother did not commit the crime he was accused of. She said we should pay N40,000 for his bail out and N30,000 for the stolen phone. We pleaded with her but she refused and rather gave us a phone number to call whenever we are ready,” Mrs Ifeoma alleged.
Dede Uzor was subsequently called for a meeting, while other members of the crew were begged to stay away. On returning from the meeting,Dede Uzor demanded that Nkechi should be reprimanded over her alleged “ extortive disposition.”
“Brothers and sisters of Onyema complained bitterly how they pleaded for release of the suspect unconditionally. They were compelled to pay N70,000 but they begged to pay N50,000 but they refused. In the process, she prepared a Search warrant. But on intervention of DPO and DCO 3 he was granted bail unconditionally. Yet she was crying just because her plan did not work.
“I am not surprised. Senior police officers are refined and very professional in their activities. But some of the junior officers like Nkechi are doing otherwise. I will take up this matter. I am calling on the commissioner of police for total overhaul of ranks and files in the state especially those who have spent over three years in a station in Anambra state because they have been influenced and corrupted by their environment.The likes of Nkechi should be reprimanded and punished for her unprofessionalism,” he said.
Dede Uzor praised SP Ifeanyi Obulu and DSP CC Okoroknwo DCO 3 for their professionalism and called on the Inspector General of Police ( IGP) and Police Service Commission (PSC) to promote them to the next rank respectively
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you