CSOs protest police brutality in Enugu 

Angered by what they considered as inhumanity to man, a  coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Enugu state, Monday staged a peacefully protest against police brutality of the staff of non-governmental organisation, Women Aid Collective, WACOL. The angry protesters who were drawn from  human rights activists like Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization, (CAPIO); Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, (PRAWA); Civil Liberties Organizations,  (CLO); Women Aid Collective (WACOL) among others carried placards with various inscriptions chanting “justice for WACOL”; “Justice for women”; “Justice for human right defenders”; “End police brutality against human right defenders.”

Addressing journalists at the headquarters of WACOL, New Heaven area of the state, the founding director, Professor Joy Ezeilo, described the police invasion of WACOL office and the  brutalization  of their staff as the height of police impunity and act of terrorism by security personnel. 

Ezeilo who is the Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria Nsukka, stated that the unwarranted reign of terror and abuse of police power was carried out by four police officers whom she gave their names as SP Eze Prisca, Inspector Chinyere Apadi; Inspector Michael Oliji and Sergeant Okwuchukwu Ezema on the instructions of the Abakpa area commander because the police wants to shield a rape suspect from prosecution.

She said, “On Monday January 27, 2020, a 21- year- old lady, name withheld, made a distress call to Women Aid Collective (WACOL)’s office in Enugu, Enugu state that she was raped that evening by one Mr Uchenna James Emenike, a 22 -year -old man at Corridor Layout,Maryland, Enugu. Our legal team considered her report and thought it wise that rape was such a serious criminal matter that should require police intervention and investigation.

“To that effect, one of the lawyers in our office,  Ibangah Goodness took the victim to the Area Command, Enugu, Enugu state with a petition informing the Police of the development and requested that the matter be investigated. She handed the victim over to them and was also present when they obtained a statement from her. At that point, it was reasonably expected that the police had formally taken over investigation of this matter from us.

“The Police later called Ibangah Goodness requesting that she provides the victim to them as the parents of the suspect had plans of settling the issue with the victim and her family. She told them that she had handed over the matter to them and therefore they should source the victim by themselves with the contact details she provided in her statement with them.”