BY OMOREGIE ELVIS
Civil liberties campaigners, Mr. Emmanuel Agbogun(Edo PeoplesAdvocacy Organisation against Impunity, Corruption and Police Brutality), Marxist Kola Edokpayi(Joint Legal Action Aid) and Comrade Wilson Imasuen (Talakawa Parliament) have called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to call men of his Intelligence Response Team(IRT) to order in the case of arrest without warrant of five youths of Iguomon community in Uhunmwode Local
Government Areas of Edo State which they described as “akin to a despotic, totalitarian, autocratic, authoritarian, fascistic and police system where the abuse of human rights are unprecedented.”
Recounting the ordeal of the five youths, the trio stated that some members of the IGP IRT “took five Edo youths like animals namely:
Enodumwenben Ogbeide, Nicholas Okoro, Igbinovia Osayamwanbor, Osakpamwan Uhumwangho and Evans Egharevba to unknown destination
without the prior knowledge of the police authority in Edo State over matter which have been decided by the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press briefing in Benin City, the trio alleged that “the unprofessional police officers from IGP Intelligence Response
Unit invaded the houses of the suspects in a commando like and barbaric style as early as 2am on 28th of February, 2018 and beat up a
pregnant wife of one of the suspects like an animal and took her phones and thirty thousand Maura forcefully.”
Going further, they disclosed that “the leader of the team, Supol Goodluck, had continously boasted that the AIG and the CP have no
control and authority over him and his team as they are only answerable to the IGP and God. “
They among others called for the unconditional release of the suspects “as it is contrary to the law to keep suspects in custody beyond the required time stipulated by the law.
“That Supol Goodluck and the other police officers involved in the matter should be disciplined in line with the Police Act for engaging in professional misconduct.
“That the IGP Tactical Teams operating in the state should desist
forthwith from despising the offices of the state commissioner of police and the AIG. “
Narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Odion Igbinovia, the pregnant wife of
one of the victims, Igbinovia Osayambor, said that she was mercilessly beaten and N30,000 forcefully collected from her when the police stormed their residence in search of her husband.