Police arrest us in Enugu, prosecute us in Niger — Enugu land owners cry out

By Dennis Agbo

Members of Àmechi and Obeagu Awkunanaw communities in Enugu south local government area of Enugu State have cried out to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu over alleged indiscriminate and unlawful arrests, detention and prosecution of the community members in a protracted land tussle with an Estate development firm.

The two communities said that despite the fact that an Enugu High court had ordered against their arrests, a police team from Abuja defiled the order to arrest them in Enugu, took them to Suleja in Niger state where they were detained for days before arraignment in Niger state court.

Spokesman of the affect persons, Mr. Sunday White Nnaji, who just regained freedom after incarceration noted that the police lacked jurisdiction to meddle into a civil land matter, no matter how a petition is couched just to frame up, intimidate and harass the community members.

Nnaji said: “Six of my people are still in Suleja prison, they were eight before but two have been released. They have been there for the past five months. What they do is that anytime we came to the court, the matter will be adjourned.

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“The Chief of Staff to the Enugu state Governor, Festus Uzor is the arrowhead in all these. Another person is Mr Kingsley Eze of Private Estates International West Africa limited.

“They have been threatening us with police, alleging all sorts of falsehood. The police they are using is the FBI tactical squad from Abuja. They arrested us despite the court order we secured that restricted the police agency, including one Celestine a policeman who came for the arrest. The policeman said he will not obey the court order for whatever reason and arrested, detained us for two days.

“The problem is is that we have a large expanse of land in Àmechi and Obeagu communities which Mr Kingsley Eze and some other influential people within the state are forcefully trying to take away from us. They claim that government gave it to them and they want to be selling the land and be making money and the communities will become mumu and be looking at them and what they have is a fake Certificate of Occupancy which the state government has revoked.”

Enugu state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe could not pick his calls for reaction to the development.

Vanguard News Nigeria 

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