THISDAY Reporter Petitions IG Over Unlawful Arrest, Detention in Ebonyi

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

The Ebonyi State Reporter of THISDAY newspapers, Ben Nworie, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over his unlawful arrest, detention and financial extortion in the State.

In the petition, Nworie explained that operatives of the Crack Squad of Ebonyi State Police Command stormed the shop he was sitting with his three other friends and arrested them.

Nworie, who is also Ebonyi State Vice Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) noted that all efforts to identify himself and his friends proved abortive as they were immediately whisked away to the state police headquarters.

“On Thursday, October 19, 2023, at about 7:3O pm, I stopped over at my friend’s shop at the ever busy G-hostel road, waiting for the commencement of a function at Re-meritona hotel, the venue of a dinner being organised by the Ebonyi State government in honour of the members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly members.

“Shortly as I sat down with my three other friends, men of the Crack Squad sighted our table, stopped and rounded us, seized our phones and forced me, and my three friends into their two Hilus vans to the headquarters of Ebonyi Police Command.

“All efforts to identify myself and my three friends fell on deaf ears. I brought out my ID card but the officers on duty threatened that if I bring out anything again, they will deal with me.

“On getting to the office of the Crack Squad, we were forcefully ordered to remove our clothes and pushed inside the smelling Cell containing 32 arrested persons,” the journalist narrated.

He lamented that he spent over 20 hours from Thursday night to Friday afternoon, at the smelling cell before he was released through the intervention of Ebonyi State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Samson Nwafor.

“Upon my release, I was compelled to pay the sum of N60,000 for the bail out of my three other friends. While in the cell, it was regrettable also to hear from other detainees who narrated that they were either returning from shops and they were accosted and arrested or they just parked their cars to buy food,” he said.

Nworie therefore called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute the operatives of the Crack Squad over gross violation of his Human Rights, unlawful arrest, detention, intimidation and financial extortion.

He further threatened to sue the police for N500 million fine for the infringement of his fundamental human rights which has caused him emotional and psychological trauma.