By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A full-scale investigation into the alleged killings of innocent persons by senior officers of the Anambra Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has commenced.
This development was confirmed by the spokesman of the NPF, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Usman Alkali Baba, was worried by the allegations of extra-judicial killings levelled against the officers of the police command.
It was alleged that the Officer in Charge of Awkuzu SARS in Anambra State, CSP Patrick Agbazue, and his team comprising SP Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, and Inspector Harrison Akama, arrest residents of the state, tag them as members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and take over their valuable items, including money before killing them.
After an outrage, the officers involved in the matter were asked to report to the force headquarters in Abuja for questioning, but it was later alleged that they were freed because of their connection at the top hierarchy of the police.
However, the statement issued today refuted this, emphasising that their summoning last week was to harvest vital information from them.
“It is imperative to clear the air that the officers fingered in the trending allegation were never arrested or detained. Rather, they were summoned to the Force Headquarters for interrogation in order to have a clue on the trending allegations.
“Due to the denial of the allegations raised by a blogger, the Inspector-General of Police then set in motion the process for diligent investigations,” a part of the statement stressed.
Mr Adejobi noted that the Special Investigation Panel investigating the allegations has commenced a full-scale investigation, as investigators have moved to scenes and sites for on-the-spot-assessment.
According to him, the team has been tasked to harness all available means and spread its tentacles towards ensuring that all information received via the channels made available to the public is properly examined to assist the investigations, subsequent report of findings and recommendations.
“The Nigeria Police Force wishes to disabuse the minds of well-meaning members of the public and all interested stakeholders that the panel comprising respected and thoroughbred officers, including officers of the IGP Monitoring Unit, reports directly to the Inspector-General of Police, and shall discharge the responsibility professionally and ensure justice.
“The NPF also reassures that the Anambra RRS, Awkuzu, will definitely be reorganized and sanitized to suit the present ideologies and administrative styles of the Force leadership in conformity with international best practices. This sanitization will be equally extended to other tactical squads across the NPF,” the statement said.
“It is, however, crucial to state that this process/development will not in any way truncate the current conscientious investigation into the allegations as many aggrieved persons have reached out to the panel for more deliberations and information sharing,” it added.
