From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has petitioned the Nigeria Police Force to probe the abduction of five civil engineers in Ebonyi State since early November.
In a statement obtained by Daily Sun on Friday, Intersociety said the attack on the engineers who were at the point of their abduction working on the Ebonyi Ring Road Project deserved thorough investigation to determine those behind the act.
The petition was addressed to; Joseph Egbunike, Deputy-Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigations, Tijani Baba, Deputy-Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Bureau, and Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission.
“What is involved in the Ebonyi African Development Bank Ring Road Project Engineers’ abduction and disappearance is no longer news of same or its reportage, but rested on critical questions as to: who abducted the five NELAN Civil Engineers? Where were they abducted, why were they abducted, how were they abducted? Who sent those that abducted them, were they abducted alive, taken away alive and still kept in captivity alive?
“Or were they killed instantly or later in captivity; if killed in captivity, where are their bodies; what are the present conditions of their professional colleagues and family members; where did their abductors and possible killers come from and who recruited or instructed them; where does the dastardly act place Ebonyi State and Nigeria before the int’l community or regional and international development institutions?
“What about the justice remedies-are they sufficiently available and accessible to their families and professional colleagues and to what extent have they been responded to or applied by the Criminal and Civil Justice authorities in the instant case?
“It is therefore on the basis of the above that Intersociety is invoking its power of writing in matters involving issues of extreme public and urgent importance to demand from the three named bodies and their superior heads to inexcusably rise to the occasion and do the needful.
“Having thoroughly gone through several dimensions to the dastardly act and having carefully followed same; in addition to our verse knowledge regarding crime, society and law including the statutory functions and legislations concerning the trio of the Nigeria Police Force CID, FIB, and NHRC, we are urging them not to fail in their duties.”