Murder of Royal Father: Enugu Community Cries Out to IG Over Indiscriminate Arrests

Irked by the continuous arrest and detention of their kinsmen following the dastardly murder of their traditional ruler, Igwe Stephen Nwatu, Ogbozinne –Akpugo community; Nkanu West council,
Enugu State, on Thursday asked the Inspector General of Police (IG) to immediately intervene before the situation further degenerates.

The community insisted that all arrests should cease pending the determination of the panel of Inquiry’s report set up by the state government on the crisis in the
area.

In a petition they copied the State Commissioner of Police and
Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Civil Disturbances in Ogbozinne Community, they also asked for the unsealing of the bank accounts of members of the community blocked by the police in the wake of the crisis that erupted on June 11, this year, over the
murder of Igwe Nwatu.

The petition signed by Chief Samuel Okenwa, alleged indiscriminate
arrests of innocent persons of the community in place of a suspect at
large, stressing that the development would impede the work of the
panel as “our people may have to stay away for fear of being arrested
by the police”.

He  stated that last Wednesday, September 5, a team of policemen from
federal  Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) had stormed the
Lekki-Lagos residence of Uchenna Nwodo and failing to see him,
“arrested 15 years old Chinedu Nwodo and a cook in his house, Frank.
They ransacked the house and mounted gadgets and instructed the family
to keep their doors open”.

He added that “three under aged persons were arrested and detained by
Federal SARS in conjunction with the police in Enugu state at Adeniji
–Adele, Lagos and two person are still being detained for over one month without trial. All these are happening with impunity to the establishment of a panel of Inquiry set up by the state government. In addition, bank accounts of all the members of the community are sealed excerpt those people loyal to the late Igwe”.

Meanwhile, one of the members of the community, whose legs were shattered during the face-off that claimed the life of the traditional ruler, Elder Jesse Okenwa  has asked the Police to arrest and prosecute the driver of the late Monarch’s vehicle  and the  occupants of the car.

Okenwa in a petition sent to the Commissioner of Police, Enugu through
his Counsel, B.N Nebe, also decried the inability of the Judicial panel to invite certain persons he said were key witnesses to the face-off that claimed the life of the Monarch.

Okenwa, who has not been able to walk with both legs since the incident said it was sad that while he has continued to reel in pain, following the alleged order of the late king on the driver to “crush
him”, the perpetrators of the act had been walking scout free.

It could be recalled that the death of Igwe Nwatu on June 11 had sparked off crisis in the community with burning of house and rampant arrests by the police that led many into fleeing the community.