Constitution Drafting: DPO in arrest spree in Enugu community

*74 year old man, others detained in prison custody
There is rising tension in Asaba community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu state over continuous arrest of indigenes of the community by the Divisional Police Officer of Adani Police Division, Mr. Longinus Chukwuegwu who has reportedly arrested more than ten persons were clamped into prison custody including a 74 year old man without arraigning them in court.

Daily Times gathered that there was no complaint from any member of Asaba community on breakdown of law and order before the DPO ordered his men to invade the community and arrest people reportedly discharging an assignment giving by the community.

Residents of the area who are predominantly peasant farmers told Daily Times that the DPO regularly indulges in illegal arrest in other to extort money to from them for bail.

A PCRC source told our correspondent how a welder who came to the police station to report about a machine that was parked in his shop and promised to bring the machine once the person fails to turn up only for the welder to be arrested and was asked to bail himself.

“The truth is that the people of Adani and it’s environ are tired of Chukwuegwu, the regard he gives me is because I am a PCRC member.

“Most times people are arrested by the DPO and his men on flimsy excuses; a case was that of a welder who reported that a machine was packed in his shop.

What baffles me was that the DPO ordered that the same welder who reported that machine was parked in his shop was arrested and asked to bail himself.

“This a little of what people over here suffer in the hands of the DPO who go about making arrest illegally and demanding bail from them.

“I am aware of the crisis in Asaba community and how police turn up trump charges against the people of the area”, the source said.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that members of the Asaba community had last year resolved to draft a constitution for the community when the police on the order of the DPO swoop on them for alleged unlawful assembly likely to cause breach of peace.

Asaba community is made up of four villages namely: Umuene, Umuobogu, Umuonoja and Umuidoko while the current and the first traditional ruler, Igwe Alphonsus Agbata hail from Umuonoja is seen as old and may join his ancestors anytime the members of the community decided to put in place a successor plan to rotate among the four villages.

Speaking in an interview on the issue, the President General Asaba Town Union, Mr. Okafor Francis said that the community has existed for the past forty years without constitution but in a town hall meeting the community agreed to draft a constitution that would guide the activities of the community which was agreed to by the four villages that made up Asaba community.

“But problem started when Umuonoja village where the present traditional ruler hails from pulled out of the earlier agreement on the condition that there must be a clause in the constitution that the next traditional ruler must come from their village which the other three villages kicked against.

“I was surprised when police swoop on the constitution drafting committee at Central School Asaba on an alleged bridge of peace and arrested the nine members of the committees.

“Till today I am yet to understand what the police meant by bridge of peace when in actual sense the entire community unanimously agreed to draft the constitution that would help advance development of the community.

“The nine committee members arrested are: Okafor Chukwudi, Okoro John, Abuchi Ozoemena, Onuama Domnic, Okonkwo Cyprian, Edochie Philip, Okoro Peter, Nwajiana Jacob and Chukwunweike Denyelu.

“The DPO demanded that we pay N50, 000 for the release of each of the nine people detained making N450, 000 but after two days when we could not raise the amount he demanded he then collected N69, 000 from us to release them.

The chairman Asaba Community Neighbourhood Watch, Mr. Gregory Okonkwo, said their duty was to help maintain law and order in the community expressing surprise on how the police swoop on the constitution drafting committee on an alleged bridge of peace.

“When there is problem in the community we are the one who alert the police but we are surprised no body reported to us of any crisis or people found with dangerous weapon before the arrest of the committee members.

“We were aware that the constitution committee was meeting on that fateful day, we did not inform the police of any crisis because there was none, so we are surprised where and how the police got their information that led to the arrest of the committee members.

Also reacting, one of the sons of the traditional ruler of Asaba community, Mr. Edwin Agbata said his family knew nothing about the arrest of the members of the community adding that his father never reported any case to the police.

“My father wouldn’t have ordered for the arrest of the members of the constitutional drafting committee in Asaba community because he has been sick and been away far away in Lagos receiving treatments since the past six months”, he said.

However further investigations by our correspondent revealed that the people of Asaba community reportedly petitioned the Nsukka Police Area Command demanding that their case be transferred to Nsukka on hearing that the community had sort for transfer of the matter when the IPO arrived Adani from Nsukka to collect the case file the DPO reportedly became angry and hurriedly transferred the charged the matter to court.

Daily Times gathered that when the case came up for hearing at the Adani Magistrate Court, the chief magistrate reportedly referred the case to Nsukka Police Area command for reinvestigation but what still remain a riddle is how the case file back to Adani police station.

A 74 year old man Mr. Philip Nwankwo, Okafor Chukwudi and Abuchi Onuama who were originally not among the nine people detained were this time arrested and taken to Nsukka Prison where they spent 14 days without making police statement.

Nwankwo said he was on his way to his farm when a team of policemen accosted and arrested him and whisked him to the station without telling him his offence.

Nwankwo said, ‘’I was arrested on April 22nd and taken to Adani police station where I met two other young men from Asaba community earlier arrested on an alleged involvement in drafting of constitution for the community.

“The next day the three of us were taken to Enugu Ezike magistrate court where we stayed till evening before we were detained without police taking statement from us or arraigning us in any court.

“The next day we were taken to Nsukka prison where we were detained for 14 days and latter released without the police taken statement or arraigning us in court, I even fell sick in prison and was treated because of my age as a result of physical and psychological trauma I passed through.

He further explained that they were taken to Adani magistrate court on Friday, May 19 without any arraignment.

“The police told us to sign an agreement not to foment trouble but we refused because we have not been told of our offence that there was no way we can sign any agreement since the police have not taken our statement and there was no allegations leveled against us’’, he said.

When contacted, the DPO of Adani Police Division, Mr. Longinus Chukwuegwu said the constitution drafting members of Asaba community were arrested on alleged report of breach of peace of the community which according to him might lead to breakdown of law and order.

He added that the other three people were arrested based on issuance of bench warrant by the Adani magistrate court.

“There was a complaint which we acted upon and made some arrest and subsequently charged to court, the suspects did not show up in court and the court issued bench warrant for their arrest.

“Even when the matter was already in court the suspects forged a letter that the Nsukka Police Area Commander asked them to bring the case file to Nsukka Area Command.

The DPO denied requesting N450, 000 and N69, 000 which the suspects claimed he collected from them at last for their bail.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu when contacted said he was just hearing about the Asaba case and promised that urgent action will be taken on the matter.