From Fred Itua, Abuja
The Concerned kindred families of Ndiaga, Umunenshi and Umuchimengwu, Amechi Uwani Awkunanaw represented by Sunday White Nnaji, Okechukwu Agbo and Ozo Onukwube Ogbodo, have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), to call some erring policemen to order over a land dispute.
In a petition addressed to the IGP on behalf of the community by their legal representative, A.J Ebubechukwu, they said one Sergeant Emmanuel Vandi and his “enablers have become direct actors in the grand land grabbing scheme, of a whooping 1,097 hectares of ancestral lands belonging to our clients and their kith and kin in Obeagu Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, which is the subject matter of a concluded investigation by the Force Intelligence Bureau.”
While praising the IGP for the innovative policy on the standardization of investigations, they remarked, “We are constrained to bring to your notice, that some disgruntled elements in the society have not given up in their effort to mislead various formations of the Nigeria Police Force into embarking on a parallel investigation on the same subject matter which they have either been investigated and found culpable or are still undergoing investigation and which action is often employed to stultify, truncate and frustrate the outcome of the investigation in which they are indicted.”
As part of their appeal to the IGP to act, they noted: “An instant case of an individual whose subterfuge attempts at misleading the DIG, Force Criminal Investigations Department through one Sergeant Emmanuel Vandi clearly undermines the painstakingly concluded investigation undertaken by the Force Intelligence Bureau, in which investigation the referenced individual and his cohorts were suspects and which investigation has since been forwarded to the Department of Public Prosecution for advice.
“At about 10:30 am on Friday the 17th of February 2023, while members of our clients were going about their lawful activities on their Ancesta Estate project site, the earlier referenced Sergeant Emmanuel Vandi of the Admin Section of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID), led a team of operatives from the Octopus Squad, Enugu Command to the site.
“They came in commando style, shooting sporadically and forcefully ejecting innocent workers from their workplace, supposedly in pursuit to arrest the same individuals at whose instance the investigation at the Force Intelligence Bureau was conducted on account of a petition authored by the suspects in the FIB’s concluded investigation.
“In view of the foregoing, it is our client’s humble request that you use your good offices to intervene in the circumstance by directing any and all sections, including the Admin Section of the Force Criminal Investigations Department, to desist from interfering in the already concluded investigation in compliance with your policy on standardization of Police investigations.
“We are confident that our client’s humble request will elicit a favourable consideration by your honourable office as we also extend our client’s unquantifiable gratitude to you.
Sergeant Vandi, when contacted, declined comment. He didn’t admit or deny the claims made by the community leaders in the letter sent to the IGP.