Posted by The Imo State Police Command has come under fire from the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) for how it handled the death of the late former presidential aide Amed Gulak.
The rights organization gave the Police instructions regarding professionalism, respect to international best practices, and observance of the rules of engagement.
HURIWA wants the state command to explain to the populace why two groups of the politician’s alleged murders have surfaced.
In a statement released in Abuja, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, cited a police statement from earlier this year that claimed the Anti-kidnapping Unit had detained one of the Gulak murders.
It was widely reported that on May 30, 2021, assailants shot and killed Gulak as he traveled to the Sam Mbakwe International Airport in Owerri.
The Command claimed in June 2022 that one Anosike Chimaobi of Umuedo Obohia, in the state’s Ahiazu Mbaise council Area, was responsible for the murder.
Michael Abattam, the Command’s public relations officer, presented the suspect in front of reporters in Owerri and claimed that Chimaobi was equally responsible for the assault and killing of numerous police officers.
HURIWA is therefore perplexed as to how the police command, six months after declaring the death of Gulak’s assassins, reappeared on Tuesday to announce the arrest of Lance Corporal Nwangwu Chiwendu, a Nigerian Army deserter, for the purported murder of Gulak.
The rights organization urged the police and other security agencies to improve their intelligence and conduct themselves properly in order to root out the terrorists who were wreaking havoc in the South-East region.
The group questioned why those arrested have not yet been charged despite a blatant discrepancy in the police’s assertions surrounding the murder of Gulak.
The group stated, “We are sick and tired of all these regular Nollywood or Hollywood movies staged by police and the Nigeria Army while parading certain suspects they reportedly arrested and these media showmanship are just organized, choreographed and unleashed on the public space for the entertainment values of the audiences.”
“Getting justice for any crime committed against the Nigerian state and the inhabitants of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the mission of law enforcement officials. It is not the essence of law enforcement to naturally create media parades of suspects for mere consumption by media consumers.”