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Millenium Citi Trustees Condemn Parade Of Members By Police

September 24, 2018

According to the vice-chairman of the group, those arrested since September 13, when policemen invaded the estate, were accused of impersonating the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

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Registered Trustees of Millennium Citi Centre Estate have condemned the parade of two of their residents arrested by the Police.

At a briefing in Lagos, its Vice-Chairman, Jachike Nwankwo, said on Friday, the Police allegedly paraded a staff member of a private security outfit employed by the estate, William Iyeke and a barber, Julius Babasola, on national television.

He said the two, arrested since September 13, when policemen invaded the estate, were accused of impersonating the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

Nwankwo said: “We call on the IGP and other well-meaning Nigerians to intervene urgently, direct the release of the persons being illegally detained since September 13 and instruct officers and men of the Nigeria Police to stop lending themselves to being used for brazen illegality.”

According to the vice-chairman, there have been a “recurrent and continuing invasion and acts of terror and injustice against the Residents of Millennium Citi Centre Estate (MCCE) Gbagada, Lagos, and employees of the private security company.”

He said: “Due to the outcry by residents of MCCE in print and electronic news media over this shameful and illegal act, our innocent, responsible and dedicated Security Supervisor, Iyeke William and the barber, Julius Babasola were paraded like common criminals on NTA News on Friday night, September 21, 2018 with the allegations that they were impersonating the Inspector General of Police.”

Nwankwo said various families claiming the land have pending lawsuits, yet they have been resorting to self-help.

“Some residents of MCCE have even had to make payments to at least two of these families to prevent incessant disturbances. The position of the MCCE is for all the various warring families to wait for the final outcome of the various pending law suits.

“Curiously, those plots of land, that were hitherto undeveloped until these brazen actions took place, were instantly taken over the very day the arrests took place. A fast-track development activity is now taking place at the site this very moment and it is open to everyone to verify.”

Nwankwo said under the leadership of their chairman, Mr Adesoji Adeniji, the estate which was “once a desolate vast expanse of swampy land has been magnificently transformed to a place of pride through the collective efforts of residents.”

He said a faction of another family, having been politely prevented from forceful entering the private estate by the security team headed by Iyeke, procured officers and men from the IGP monitoring team to invade the community on September 13.

“Iyeke Williams and some of his men were promptly arrested, brutalised and handcuffed along with an unfortunate barber that plies his trade within the estate. They were led by the Policemen to some sites under development.

“Posters with the insignia of the Nigeria Police and inscription that ‘This land belongs to IGP’ were brandished. The hapless victims were ordered at gun point to pose with pictures of the posters as a backdrop.

“The arrested victims were ordered to lead them to our chairman’s house. Throughout last week, the same team repeatedly turned up at the chairman’s residence at random and odd hours to frantically ransack his house in search for him with the intention to abduct and humiliate him over trumped-up charges.

“There is an apparent effort to cover up this act of brazen illegality by men and officers of the Nigeria Police from IGP Monitoring Unit, Abuja,” Nwankwo said.

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Police