Ill-Gratification: Ebonyi Police Cracks Squad Carpets AIG Order on Case File Transfer

FROM OUR CRIME DESK (UMUAHIA)

It may not be far-fetched that in their bid to swallow down over N.200M the Cracks Squad of the Nigeria Police, Ebonyi State Command allegedly extorted from an Onueke, Ezza South – based businessman, (Sunday Nwankwo Unuoka) who was arrested and incarcerated for three days in the Command Headquarters before his relations went and bought his freedom, the said unit is accused of having carpeted the order of the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 9, Umuahia, Abia state, AIG Issac Akimoyede, weeks after calling for the transfer of the case file.

According to the victim who said he was arrested out of a petition written against him by one Monday Oshim over a business transaction he had with one Ndubuisi, the victim added that he was arrested by the police on the instigation of Mr. Oshim whom he has no business dealings even as he opined that he saw hell in the hands of his Investigation Police Officer, IPO only identified as Nnam attached with the Cracks Squad..

In the strongly worded petition from a Human Rights group, (Oppressed Voice Int’l), properly addressed to both the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba and AIG Zone 9 Umuahia, AIG Issac Akimoyede respectively, the victim stated that his people were compelled to pay the over said sum when it was clear that their son (Sunday) will not make it to the next day as a result of the torture he underwent in the alleged hands of the IPO.

Although the IPO, (Nnam) when contacted through his GSM line, resorted to using abusive words on our staff with threats to deal with this reporter should he ever call his mobile line again.

But insisting on a refund of the huge amount of money the Cracks Squad, Ebonyi State Police Command allegedly extorted from him, the petitioner questioned the rationale behind the refusal of the IPO to transfer his case to the Assistant Inspector General of Police for natural investigation.

Parts of the petition from Oppressed Voice Int’l dated 3rd December 2022 read thus; “At the Police Command level, a police officer only identified as Nnam was assigned to investigate the matter but instead of him doing the needful, he was concerned about the bail fee as he later extorted the sum of two hundred thousand Naira (200,000.00) only but cared not to conduct a proper investigation on the matter as he only bundled the citizen we are representing in this petition into the cell, despite his ill- health and released him after three working days with threats that he should go and pay for the native cows in contention or he risked being killed”. They submitted.

The activists, on behalf of Sunday Nwankwo Unuoka further pleaded with the AIG to compel the IPO to refund the said sum he allegedly extorted from their complainant’s relations and punish the policeman adequately. This, they said, will serve as a deterrent to others.

When contacted, the State Police Command Image-maker, said even though he was not aware of the matter, noted that the matter is still within the powers of the CP to handle since there are no threats to the public peace. On the alleged extortion of the over-said sum, the PPRO described it as unprofessional for any policeman to engage in such activities, if the allegations are anything to go by.