Police begin probe of ‘extrajudicial killings’ in Anambra as IGP rejigs state RRS

The panel set up by the Nigerian Police Force to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings in Anambra has commenced on-site assessment of the allegations.

TheCable had reported that Usman Baba, inspector-general of police, constituted the panel to probe reported cases of extrajudicial killings by three officers attached to the Anambra command.

The accused officers are Patrick Agbazue, Nwode Nkeiruka, and Harrison Akama.

Agbazue is the officer-in-charge of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Nkeiruka is the spokesperson of zone 13 headquarters, Ukpo-Dunukofia, while Akama is a police inspector attached to RRS.

The officers were accused of allegedly masterminding killings, abductions, extortions in Anambra.

Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, in a statement on Tuesday, said the panel has been urged to properly examine all information received from the public regarding the allegations.

Adejobi said the police will reorganise the Anambra RSS to meet international standards.

“The special investigation panel investigating the allegations of extra-judicial killings, extortion, unprofessionalism, and highhandedness against police officers of the Anambra State Command and Zone 13 Ukpo-Dunukofia, has commenced a full-scale investigation into the allegations as investigators have moved to scenes and sites for on-the-spot-assessment,” the statement reads.

“The NPF also reassures that the Anambra RRS, Okuzu, will definitely be reorganised and sanitised to suit the present ideologies and administrative styles of the force leadership in conformity with international best practices. This sanitization will be equally extended to other tactical squads across the NPF.

“Furthermore, it is imperative to clear the air that the officers fingered in the trending allegation were never arrested or detained. Rather, they were summoned to the force headquarters for interrogation in order to have a clue on the trending allegations.

“Due to the denial of the allegations raised by a blogger, the inspector-general of police then set in motion the process for diligent investigations.

“It is, however, crucial to state that this process/development will not in any way truncate the current conscientious investigation into the allegations as many aggrieved persons have reached out to the panel for more deliberations and information sharing.”