Delta community leaders petition IGP over unlawful arrest, detention

Community leaders in Issele-Azagba, Aniocha North local government area of Delta state have petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, for alleged unlawful detention by the Delta state Police Command.

They included Okwudili Maha, Chiejina Maha, Charles Nwahachie and Anthony Akabueze.
According to them, the state Police Command arrested them last month following crisis over a disputed expanse of land.
In the petition, through their lawyer Mr. Elunor Eregbuonye, they said they were beneficiaries of the said land at Issele-Azagba as members of the community’s land committee.

The petition dated March 24, 2014, said the plot to arrest the four persons was orchestrated by some stakeholders in the community after which they were detained at the command’s headquarter in Asaba for over two weeks without being charged to court.
According to the petition, “our clients filed an application for the enforcement of their fundamental rights as enshrined in Sections 34, 35, 36, 37 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.”

The petition further alleged that rather release the said persons as ordered by the court, the police continued to keep them in custody.
“As a matter of fact, the continued incarceration of our clients and their relations or friends and the continued destruction of clients’ properties is now breeding anger and animosity as the youths of Issele-Azagba are now grouping to unleash mayhem and threatening to take the laws into their own hands.

“We, therefore, urge you with deep sense of duty and responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation into the subject matter of the charge in Annexure 03 and 04 against our clients and do the needful in the circumstances so as to avert the looming bloodbath in Issele-Azagba, Delta state.”