The Ndigbo Unity Assembly (NUA) has urged the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to as a matter of urgency release eight Igbo young men arrested by his IG Special Squad (IRT) at Onitsha drug market.
The President of the Assembly High Chief Uzor A. Uzor, who made this call in Onitsha, the Anambra State commercial nerve centre however, said failure to release the men arrested at Bridgehead, Onitsha would trigger off massive protest against the illegal arrest and their continued detention.
Those under arrest include Donatud Ajanma, chairmanship aspirant, Uche Michael, Francis Exechukwu and others.
But the group said that what was most annoying is the “crude and uncivilized” manner the squad led by one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Abdullahi Mohammed, from Kaduna State sector arrested the people and kept them in a bus driving them around South East and Delta State for about two weeks .
They alleged that these people were kept incommumicando for more than two weeks now, without access to their lawyers, and family members .
The worst, said the Assembly, was that up to the time of addressing this press they have not been told of their offences.
They alleged that they were demanding huge amount of money from each of these detainees who are traders at Onitsha drug market
One of the detainees, said the group, is an aspirant in the forthcoming election of the market,fuelling speculation that the arrest night be connected with the election the market being planned for the market.
Said High Chief Uzor ” there is no where in our laws where suspects are arrested without telling them their offences, and kept in a vehicle.”That is why we appeal to IGP to as a matter of urgency release these people unconditionally and without any financial attachment” ,said High Chief Uzor
They warned that if after 24 hours of the publication of this statement, these Igbo youths were not released unconditionally the group would mobilise people to protest the unlawful arrest and illegal detention.
The Assembly called on the IGP to immediately relieve ASP Abdullahi his job and send him to Police College for a refresher course.
The group however, lauded ACP Abba Kyari, IG, Special Squad, for his professionalism and dogged fightt against criminals.
“He has shown that criminals have no hiding place anywhere he is posted in this country”, said the Assembly.
But ASP Abdullahi, they said, has failed to follow the footstep of his boss and has been making “fictitious, unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations against these defenceless youths” to the effect that they supply drug to Boko Haram in Simbisa forest in Botno State .
,”But we know that was a ploy to extort money from these innocent Igbo traders allegedly from ASP Abdullahi who claimed he was untouchable because and he hails from the same Borno State with the Commander, Abba Kyari” in Borno State.
