Nsukka, Nigeria – Over 900 women from Aku Community in Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State on Wednesday embarked on a peaceful protest, accusing a senior police officer of aiding kidnappers in the area.
The women took their case to Ogbede Divisional Police Station in the area,
demanding the sack of Mr Andrew Okechukwu, who is a Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Divisional Crime Officer 2 (DCO2) of the station for allegedly aiding kidnapping incidents in the area.
Addressing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ogbede, Mr. Kelvin Nwagu, Mrs Serina Eze, who is the Chairman of Aku Women Association, alleged that Okechukwu colluded with people from Ikolo, a neighbouring Community, to kidnap and murder people from Aku.
Eze said: “He (Okechukwu) should explain his role in an alleged killing of Aku people recently.
“We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu state and other well-meaning Nigerians to come to our rescue as Ikolo people continue to kidnap and kill Aku people.
Also speaking, Mrs Justina Ogbe, Secretary of the association, alleged that Okechukwu aborted a police operation aimed at rescuing three boys kidnapped from Aku even when the police team was very close to the den of the kidnappers in Ikolo.
“Some boys from Aku volunteered to join police in searching for the kidnapped children, they got very close to the location as indicated by police phone tracker, only for the DCO2, who led the team, to abort the operation and ordered the police team back to station on flimsy excuses,” she said.
“If he is not working with Ikolo people, why did he abort the operation when the operation was close to the kidnappers,” she queried.
Ogbe also accused the DCO2 of demanding N100,000 from some Aku youths who came to Ogbede Police Station to report the kidnap.
Responding, the DPO, Ogbede Police Division, Mr Kelvin Nwagu, thanked the women for the peaceful protest and assured them that their demands would be communicated to the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr Kanayo Uzuegbu.
Nwagu, however, expressed dissatisfaction with Ikolo people who claimed that they have no knowledge of the kidnapping of three boys from Aku, when police tracker had consistently indicated that the kidnapped boys were still held hostage in Ikolo.
The DPO told the women that he lacked the authority to sack or transfer DCO2 as demanded but assured them that their demands would be forwarded to the appropriate authority.
Nwagu disclosed that police at Ogbede had already arrested some suspects in Ikolo in connection with the kidnapping and killing of some people from Aku and had moved the suspects to Enugu State Police Headquarters for proper investigations.
“The commissioner of police in the state had ordered a thorough investigation in the matter. I assure you that justice will be served as all those behind the evil act in Ikolo community will be fished out and prosecuted at the end of investigation,” he said.
When contacted on the allegation, the DCO2 described the allegation as a false and deliberate attempt to tarnish his image.
He, however, explained that he aborted the rescue mission midway because he feared that some hoodlums in Ikolo might ambush the rescue team and kill all of them in the rescue operation.
“We have few police officers in the rescue operation and midway I suggested we should turn back for fear of being ambushed by some hoodlums from Ikolo.
“The reason we turned back was to enable us to reinforce the team with more policemen and other security agencies so that we can repel any attack from hoodlums in Ikolo.
“On the allegation of demanding N100,000 from some Aku youths, he also described it as a false allegation meant to blackmail him as there’s no truth in it.”
Three boys from Aku Community
were kidnapped earlier this month (August) by suspected Ikolo people when they went to Ikolo in search of herbal medicine for the treatment of their ailing mother.
Later, four men from Aku were also killed and others injured in Ikolo during the rescue mission.
