“They handcuffed me” – Former Super Falcons star demands justice over police brutality (PHOTOS)

Former Super Falcons midfielder Maureen Mmadu’s efforts to seek justice after being defamed, unlawfully arrested, and brutalised alongside players from her Maureen Mmadu Kiddies Academy have stalled, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Anambra State Police Command has yet to investigate her complaint or address her grievances.

The 49-year-old, accompanied by academy students and their parents, staged a peaceful protest at the command’s headquarters in Awka, expressing frustration over the police’s failure to act on her petition.

“We are here to seek justice and redress over what happened at our academy on October 9,” Mmadu said as per the Punch. 

The ordeal began when Uchenna Onyekwunife, a parent who had left his daughter at the academy for months, accused Mmadu of armed gangsterism, child trafficking, and threats to life.

Acting on these allegations, officers from the Anti-cult unit stormed the academy without a warrant, assaulted players, destroyed property, and arrested Mmadu.

“They handcuffed me, accusing me of being a kidnapper and a cultist,” Mmadu explained. 

“They severely injured my players, who were hospitalised. The police promised to repair the destroyed phones and cover medical bills but have done nothing.”

Despite lodging complaints, the police have consistently referred her between the command headquarters and Zone 13 in Dunukofia.

On Tuesday, her peaceful protest was met with hostility as the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Obono Itam, ignored her plea and ordered her group to disperse.

Mmadu, who represented Nigeria at four FIFA Women’s World Cups and two Olympics, demands accountability, including the return of confiscated items, investigation of her accuser, and justice for the injured players.

“This continuous back-and-forth must stop,” she said.

Mmadu was a member of the Super Falcons squad that won the Women Africa Cup of Nations in 2000.