Anambra State has been hit by allegations of organ harvesting, killings, and extortion against senior officers from two police formations.
A panel was set up to investigate these claims, and it has now submitted its report to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.
The force PRO, who disclosed this in a text message upon enquiry on Sunday said, “I am aware that the team has carried an investigation into the allegations, and a report has been sent to the IGP recently. I will get a copy of the report and act.”
The allegations first came to light through a whistleblower who shared evidence on a blog called Gistlover in February.
The accused officers were invited to Abuja for questioning but subsequently freed. The officers involved in the allegations are the Commander Rapid Response Squad in Anambra, CSP Patrick Agbazue; the Zonal Public Relations Officer, Zone 13, Ukpo, SP Nkeiru Nwode; and Inspector Harrison Akama.
Meanwhile, the Anambra State government has remained tight-lipped about the outcome of the reviews.
The Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the Attorney-General of the state, Mrs Chika Ifemeje, to review all case files handled by the indicted police officers.
But according to an anonymous source within the ministry, no review has been done, and the state has remained quiet on the matter.
The source said, “The panel by the IGP, which was supposed to last two weeks, has taken close to two months, but Anambra State, whose citizens are the ones being butchered and their parts sold by these officers have kept quiet, refusing to review the file as they had initially been ordered by the governor. It is a shame.”
In connection with the investigation, the Anambra State Police Command has declared a corps member, Daniel Nnamdi Emeh, wanted for impersonation, possession of firearms, and money laundering.
Emeh, a 26-year-old IT expert working with the command, was alleged to have leaked information to the blogger after he fell out with the indicted officers.
He has been arrested and taken to Abuja for interrogation. However, reacting to the report, Adejobi said he was not aware, saying, “I will need to find out about that.”
There have been protests by some civil society groups over the release of the suspected police officers and calls for Emeh to be protected as a whistleblower.
The investigation has highlighted ongoing concerns around police brutality and corruption in Nigeria, with many questioning the authorities’ commitment to tackling these issues.
While the report’s contents have yet to be made public, it is hoped that the investigation will lead to justice for victims and an overhaul of policing practices in the region.
