Umuezunu Community Petitions IGP, Demands Prosecution of Officers Over Vigilante’s Death, Court Bars Police IRT From Harassment

The Umuezunu village in Ifite Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State has accused the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of torturing its son and vigilante member, Sunday Ekemezie, to death.

Through its lawyer Mr Steve Ononye (SAN), the community lodged a petition for the prosecution of those culpable.

“They hope and believe that the perpetrators of the inhuman treatment meted out on Sunday Ekemezie would be brought to book.

“The people of Umuezunu village also appeal to the IGP to check the excesses and abuse of power of members of the IRT office, Abuja,” Ononye said.

Meanwhile, the High Court in Neni, Anambra State, has restrained the IRT from further harassing, arresting or detaining the people of the Umuezunu.

The applicants are Nonso Ekemezie, Daniel Obele, Daniel Okoye, Ifeanyi Onuorah, the late Ekemezie, Chukwudi Muogbo, Afam Okoye, Samuel Okoye, Uche Nwamulalu, and Charle Muogbo.

The defendants are Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, DIG Dasuki Galadanuh, DCP Ahmed Muhammed, ASP Kingsley, Mr Sule (all of the IRT Abuja), the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, AIG Zone 13, Ukpo, President-General of Enugu-Ukwu Mr Patrick Nworji, Boniface Ozobialu, George Ezennia, Emelie Onyeagba and Onyedika Agbakwu.

Justice G. C. Anulude held that the continuous use of the second to fifth respondents (Galadanuh, Muhammed, ASP Kingsley and Mr Sule, by the eight to 12 defendants (Nworji, Ozobialu, Ezennia, Onyeagba and Agbakwu) to harass, intimidate and oppress the applicants is illegal and unlawful.

The court further held the threat to further arrest them is illegal and violates their fundamental rights as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

Justice Anulude directed the IRT to release to the applicants two pump action guns, one double-barrel rifle and live ammunition seized from the vigilante team.

He awarded N500,000 damages to the applicants for the unlawful arrest, torture and detention of the fourth and fifth applicants (Onuorah and the late Ekemezie). The judge delivered the judgment on December 17 in suit NN/MISC 50/2024.

Ekemezie’s death a day before the judgment followed a land dispute in 2022 involving Umuezunu and a neighbouring village, Urualor, which was accused of trespass.

While there was a move to settle the dispute, another village, Isionyenato in Enugwu-Ukwu allegedly entered the land with bulldozers, destroyed some economic trees and started selling off the land.

Members of the Umuezunu confronted the Isionyenato, which allegedly continued with the trespass.

The people of Umuezunu village then filed a suit, along with a complaint of malicious damage to the police, following which charges were filed.

According to Umuezunu, matters escalated when Isionyenato “falsely” informed the police that it was the people of Umuezunu who conspired with the unknown gunmen to cause the shooting in a separate incident which led to the death of some people.

As a result, the people of Umuezunu were detained at the State CID Awka.

Umuezunu wrote a petition to Egbetokun, who assigned the case to the IGP Monitoring Unit, Abuja for investigation.

The people of Isionyenato, instead of honouring the Unit’s invitation, engaged the IRT, which abducted Onuorah and Ekemezie from their duty post and carted away the guns and ammunition.