In a troubling incident, police operatives recently stormed Umoba Village in Eziachi Orlu, Imo State, arresting several local leaders and allegedly extorting N120,000 from them. According to reports, the operation was led by a policeman named Victor from the D7 Unit, Zone 9, who has been accused of harassing residents for some time.
Chinedu Ohams, an Assistant Chief at the National Human Rights Commission, spoke to SaharaReporters about the situation. He emphasized that the police involvement was unwarranted, as the issue at hand was a matter of chieftaincy titles and should not have required police intervention.
The conflict reportedly began when a resident named Chikwado filed a complaint with the police concerning his father’s will, which designated how his properties were to be divided among his children. Chikwado, however, allegedly resisted his father’s wishes, prompting the village to call him in for discussion.
Instead of addressing the issue collaboratively, Chikwado approached the police at Zone 9 in Umuahia, leading to the unwarranted police raid on the village. During the operation, the police arrested four village leaders: Chigere Emmanuel, Chigere Christian, Agubosim Emmanuel, and Chibuzor Anumudu. After demanding a bribe, they released Chigere Emmanuel and Agubosim Emmanuel but continued to detain Christian and Chibuzor.
Ohams voiced his concerns, stating, “Currently, your officers have arrested five of our community members and extorted N120,000 from them, with intentions to detain more.” He urged the police to intervene and noted that the village chairman would be visiting to discuss the matter further.
He asserted that the complaint should be handled in court if necessary, reiterating that there had been no violent threats or malicious actions involved.
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