From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The people of Ndiaga Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu State, have sought the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to stop the nefarious activities of some land grabbers who allegedly use the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), to intimidate, arrest and torture them.
Speaking on behalf the community, the National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, at a press briefing yesterday, in Abuja, called on the IGP to implore his officers from taking sides and to arrest all those involved.
The petition, entitled: ‘SOS Appeal to the Inspector General of Police,’ reads: “We the people of Ndiaga Amechi Awkunanaw have decided to cry out for help against the incessant harassment of the officers of SWAT, Force CID, Abuja who have laid siege on our community, and have been on a prowl, hounding every member of the community over an allegation which many members of the community know nothing about.
“We have however now become aware that this unfortunate vendetta was orchestrated against the community by a known land grabber, (name withheld) in order to assist the said land grabber to forcefully take over our communal/ancestral land.
“We now understand that the situation was borne out of a misunderstanding arising from the illegal use of some mobile police officers by the referenced land grabber.
“We are equally aware that the law permits us to defend our property, just like any other owner of a property, against any forceful or unlawful takeover of same, and we cannot therefore be annihilated, completely wiped off or jailed because we resisted abusive use of a few compromised mobile police officers on illegal duty, who were hired and gave themselves out as hirelings and whose presence on the land is clearly to support the greedy, acquisitive tendencies of a land grabber who has selfishly instigated and unleashed them (SWAT, FCID, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja) against the community.
“As at this morning, (04/08/2021), a contingent of officers of SWAT, have invaded the land in question and have chased our members away from their land, apparently for the purpose of putting the landgrabber in possession of our land.
“We are raising this alarm to appeal to the Inspector-General of Police, who has shown rare professionalism and respect for the rule of law and respect for human rights, to call these officers to order, bearing in mind that it doesn’t fall within the purview of the Police Force to dabble and decide issues bordering on land.”
According to him, “We consulted with our lawyers and they had written to the Inspector-General of Police, against the use of various police units by the land grabbers to harass and intimidate members of the community, including the use of some mobile police officers assigned as personal guards to the land grabber, and it appears that the more we complain the more emboldened and reckless they have become, in their invasion of the community with force and arms.
“We don’t want any disruption of peace, law and order or bloodshed in our community, hence this clarion call on the IGP to stop this abusive use of members of the SWAT, Abuja and ensure an impartial and unbiased policing that can inspire confidence in, and respect for the Police.”