We are unjustly detained by River State Commissioner of Police, residents cried out.
By Ifeoma Ikem
Mr Livingstone Wechie from Mgbuoshimini Community, Rumueme kingdom, appealed to Nigeria Police Force for immediate release of himself, his brother, and six others who have been unjustly detained by the Commissioner of Police, Emeka Nwoyi, over the tragic killings that happened since 2017.
Wechie accused CP Nwoyi of comprising with notorious leader ‘ Daddy Chukwu,known as Oboni for not facing prosecution for all his nefarious acts in the community.
Narrating how Oboni was responsible for the deaths of more than 30 people, including close relatives, in 2017. Despite being placed on the wanted list, Oboni managed to return to the community and move freely.
According to him, he explained that after they submitted a petition, the Rivers State Police Command, under CP Effiong Okon, promptly formed a team led by the C4i Strike Force (OCTOPUS).
This team moved into action raided the black spots in their community, with assistance from the local vigilante group OSPAC.
The black spots was successfully dislodged and peace was restored in the community everybody move freely without any fear of attacks,recently this group have resurface recruiting some members into secret cult that engaged themselves in various criminal activities, including bunkering, killings, and gunrunning.
Although Oboni managed to escape, some members of his group were apprehended,but since then, the police have been closely monitoring him, while the vigilante group continues to assist the police in the community. We have been living under the constant threat of being on the hit list.
Petition
“I, Livingstone Wechie, and my brother Mr. Ohazurume Chukwu and six others who are members of our Community Vigilantee OSPAC are still in custody. They are: Jeremiah Pardon Chukwu, Prince Uchechukwu Amadi, Ndubisi Sunny Amadi, Sunny Amadi, Friday Godwin, Gift Echem.
“For the Records, Mgbuoshimini Community Rumueme kingdom is my maternal home wherein I was born and grew in and was allocated a land and built a house. I have been working as a stakeholder with the Community leadership and the Community Development Council.
“In 2017 a group of killers led by one Daddy Chukwu a.k.a OBONI killed over 30 people in my Community including my relations such as Chief Minikwu Chukwu, Godspower Aligbo, Omunakwe Benson in 2019.
“They were declared wanted by the Nigerian Police under the then CP Zaki Ahmed now retired DIG OPERATIONS.
“They later returned to our Community Mgbuoshimini Community Rumueme kingdom Rivers State. As an effort to rescue our Community, we set up a Local Vigilantee called OSPAC.
“In April 2023, we petitioned the Rivers State Police Command under CP Effiong Okon seeking his intervention.
He swiftly set up a team led by the C4i Strike Force (OCTOPUS) and they carried out an Operation and raided the camp of the Wanted group in my Community assisted by the Vigilantee.
The camp was dislodged and the Community returned to normalcy, away from the way the group had recruited secret cult boys committing all manners of crimes including Bunkering, killing, gun running etc. The boy escaped but some members of his group were arrested. Since then they’ve been following up on him while the Vigilantee has been working with the police to restore peace in the Community. I and my brothers were on the hit list”
“Suddenly this new Commissioner of Police Emeka Nwoyi came to Rivers State and the wanted group through their sponsors initiated a fresh petition against us alleging murder and rape etc. After the operation, a sister of the wanted person went on radio to accuse the Vigilantee boys of raping her during the operations under the supervision of the police and her brother was killed in her presence on the spot and buried by the Riverside in the camp.
“The new CP Emeka Nwoyi invited us for a meeting last Monday along with the petitioners. Before then I had met him to explain that the petition against us is aimed at misleading and misinforming him to distract from the real issues. I appealed to him to sustain the gains from his predecessor CP Effiong Okon on my Community.
He had arrested six of the Vigilantee boys and I told him that these arrests will expose our Community to attacks by the Wanted boys but he refused to heed. Sadly, he warned me in the presence of his officers never to refer him to his predecessor and that he is the new CP that the old is past that he’s not interested in it.
He hushed me that he is not the one that asked us to kill ourselves and that that’s not his business. He ordered the C4i Strike Force Commander Jovinus Iwu to withdraw the charges from court against the people arrested during the operations”
“When we attended the meeting he called for both sides last Monday he refused us the opportunity to speak saying he did not come here to waste his time that he is very busy that the petitioners should speak so he could give directions.
He listened to the other side and they raised issues of murder, rape and damage of property. The plan was to trump up charges of murder and rape and to remand us in Prison but this transfer has scuttled their hatchet plan.
“Immediately the CP ordered our arrest and detention by the CP X-SQUAD who held us for a week from Monday to Saturday.
“We had initiated a petition to the IGP to transfer the matter to Force Headquarters and he referred it to the IRT led by DC Aliyu.
“Infact he sent his CP X-SQUAD Commander to stop reporting him to DIGs because some DIGs called the CP on our behalf but it does appear that the CP Emeka Nwoyi is bent on justifying his inducement.
It took the intervention of the AIG FIB who called him on our behalf to caution him against his high-handedness and unfairness towards us.
“On Friday 7th July 2023, the IRT team came to Port Harcourt to take over the case. When the signal got to the CP X-SQUAD Commander Mr. Chris Anyanwu, he invited me from the cell to his office to brief me.
He said they have no evidence against me and my brothers on all the allegations that the burden of the matter is more on the Wanted boys and the petitioners. He said the allegations lack proof that since the CP is not responding to bail that Force Headquarters is coming to take over the matter.
“We were taken into the custody of the IRT from Abuja They said they had a little mistake of not reflecting C4i Strike Force as one of the stations to take suspects from which is where suspects from the April operations are been held. They said they will have to take custody of those suspects first before releasing us who are the Complainants. They said they will be meeting with the CP Emeka Nwoyi to minute on their signal to allow them move those suspects.
“Currently we are detained at the Central Police Station CPS in Port Harcourt by the IRT pending tomorrow when they resolve with the CP and take custody of the suspects at the C4i Strike Force Octopus led by Jovinus Iwu. They said they may most likely move everybody to Abuja.
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“I had expected that we should be granted bail then asked to report to Abuja on a date. The team leader says it is actually their mandate from their Commander to take over the matter and grant us bail then fix a date for interview in Abuja while they move the other suspects to Abuja. He said doing so requires their commander reaffirming that instruction because of this delay,” he said.
