By Chuks Eke
A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSOs have tasked authorities of the Nigeria police to release without further delay, Emeh Nnamdi, a whistleblower and youth corper who was recently arrested by the police or charge him to court if any prima facie case is established against him.
The coalition recalled that the
26-year-old Mr. Emeh Nnamdi, an IT consultant to the Anambra state police command has been in detention in Abuja since March 3, 2023 after he was arrested in Benin Republic for revealing shocking details about police extortion, torture, extra judicial executions, and organ harvesting by senior police officers in Anambra state.
The statement was jointly signed by 29 CSOs, including Access To Justice, Avocats Sans, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, IPCRC, Frontières France/ Lawyers Without Border, Sterling Law Centre, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC,
Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society, CEHRAWS. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation, HURSDEF, International Human Rights and Equity Defense Foundation, I-REF, The Coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy AFRICMIL, Foundation for Civic Education, Human Rights and Development Advancement, FoCEHRaDA, Centre For Environment, Human Rights And Development, CEHRD.
Media Awareness and Justice Initiative, Life Wire International Foundation
Nigerian Anti-death Penalty Coalition, Justice for Peace and Development Initiative JPDI and Legal Resources Consortium, LRC,
Others are Workers and Youth Solidarity Network, Social Action, Cross River Watch, Rivers State Civil Society Organization, NOPRIN Foundation, Elixir Trust Foundation, Center For Citizens With Disability, CCD, Advocacy for Alleged Witches. Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr, Nde Oduko Foundation, Anthony Opara – Difference Newspapers Lagos,
Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, Nigerian Observatory For Human Rights.
According to the statement made available to newsmen via SMS, “On Sunday, April 2, 2023, Mr. Emeh was transferred to the Anambra state police command where he is currently facing further interrogations”.
“Among his interrogators in Anambra state are senior police officers whom he had indicted for seizing posh vehicles recovered from criminal suspects who were later executed in police custody. This offends the principle of natural justice, which espouses that one should not be a judge in one’s own case”.
“We are therefore urging the Nigeria police to immediately release him or charge him for a recognized offense. We believe that Emeh Nnamdi could be at risk of ill-treatment or extra-judicial execution if he is not released or charged to court immediately”.
“We believe that whistleblowers are vital for a transparent society. When exercising the right to inform and be informed and the right of people to the truth, whistleblowers play a crucial part. They are essential to awakening informed debate within public opinion, crucial to opening up investigations by journalists and necessary for questioning decision-makers”.
“Whistleblowers are a vital link in the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, transparency, accountability, social justice, and the fight against corruption. Therefore, the undersigned organizations are calling on the Nigeria police to immediately release and drop the charges against Mr. Emeh Nnamdi or charge him to court with a recognizable offense”.
–
“The police authorities must end the intimidation, harassment, and attacks on Mr Emeh, his family, and friends. Ensure that the report of panel set up by the police authorities to investigate the allegation against top police officers in Anambra state is released promptly and everybody indicted prosecuted according to the law”.
“On February 16, 2023, Gistlover an anonymous whistle-blowing website revealed the shocking details about how senior police officers in Zone 13 and Anambra state command were involved in extortion, extra-judicial execution, enforced disappearance, and organ harvesting of detainees in their custody”.
“The story was corroborated by video evidence of former detainees who were forced to confess to serious crimes and were shortly made to disappear. Some families of the victims have since corroborated the story”.
“Shortly after the revelation, men of the Nigeria Police authorities announced that it will launch a full-scale investigation into the allegations, but instead of taking the accused police officers into custody, it declared Emeh Nnamdi, who works with the accused police team, wanted for sundry offenses. It is believed that he must have passed the vital information to Gistlover blog”.
