SaharaReporters reported on August 15, 2023 that CRRAN petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on how the said police officers came to Enugu from Zone 13 Anambra, and arrested Nwebor sometimes in August 2023, and extorted N500,000 from him before releasing him on bail.
The Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), has petitioned the Nigeria's Police Service Commission against two policemen with the Zone 13 Anambra, ASP Okilo and PC Ifeanyi for alleged assault and attempt to kill Barrister Desmond Kakaan over his intervention to recover N500,000 they extorted from one Cletus Nwebor sometimes in August 2023.
SaharaReporters reported on August 15, 2023 that CRRAN petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on how the said police officers came to Enugu from Zone 13 Anambra, and arrested Nwebor sometimes in August 2023, and extorted N500,000 from him before releasing him on bail.
After the report of the brazing criminal activities of these policemen in Zone 13 and other parts of Southeast Nigeria, SaharaReporters on August 23, also reported that the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 13, AIG Tony Olofu, ordered the return of the N500,000 extorted from Mr Cletus Nwebor by the police officers over a matter pending in court.
However, in a petition to the Chairman of Police Services Commission (PSC), former Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase (rtd.), which was signed by CRRAN's President Olu Omotayo, dated September 29, 2023, the rights organisation accused the duo of ASP Okilo and PC Ifeanyi of assault and attempted assassination of Desmond Kakaan, one of the lawyers with the organisation.
Giving details, Omotayo stated that "two persons who identified themselves as policemen from Zone 13, Ukpo Anambra, had called me severally since Monday 25th September 2023. The first identified himself as SP Sylvanus, the OC AIG Monitoring squad while the other who identified himself as Inspector Yomi Lawrence told me on phone that a petition I wrote to the Chairman Police Service Commission over unlawful extortion of the sum of N500, 000, from Cletus Nwebor was assigned to them by the Inspector General of Police for urgent investigation and I should assist them to get Mr. Nwebor or bring him to make statement.
"I, thereafter asked one of our team Bar Desmond Kakaan to go with Nwebor yesterday September 28, 2023, and report to the station. On same 28th September 2023, a policeman named Mr. Igwe of the Complaint Response Unit (CRU), Police Headquarters Abuja, also called me to inform me that a petition I wrote to the Chairman Police Service Commission over unlawful extortion of the sum of N500, 000 from Cletus Nwebor, was assigned to them by the Inspector General of Police for urgent investigation.
"I told him that Mr. Nwebor was already on his way to Police Headquarters Zone 13, to honor Police Invitation on same subject matter and I will tell him the outcome when Mr. Nwebor returns later in the day."
Omotayo further stated when Bar Kakaan and Nwebor got to the Zone 13, they reported to the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police and they were directed from there to the office of SP Sylvanus, who directed Inspector Yomi Lawrence to take Nwebor's statement as relate to the circumstances relating to how the sum of N500, 000 Naira, was extorted from him.
"After Nwebor finished writing his statement, he waited for long after which the IPO who went out came back. SP Sylvanus, thereafter said that he had completed investigation in respect of the land case dispute that initially brought Nwebor to the Police and Nwebor is found culpable for forging the title document in respect of his fathers’ land, and therefore he will be detained and serve Arraignment Notice.
"It was already getting late and I decided to call Bar Kakaan around 5:30pm, to know the situation of things but as he was still talking to me on phone I heard people shouting at him at the background and the phone went off. Bar Kakaan later called me around 6:10 pm to inform me that it was ASP Okilo and PC Ifeanyi the two policemen who were among the six policemen who extorted money from Nwebor that came to attack him for receiving phone call while in Police premises.
"Kakaan said he was dragged like a common criminal by the two policemen and as they dragged him to a place that looked like an underground cell. That when they opened the gate and wanted to push him in, he resisted them and managed to struggle and forced himself towards the office of OC Legal and struggled into the office of the OC Legal who immediately ordered the duo to stop the attack on Bar Kakaan.
"Nwebor was later released but served Arraignment Notice for Conspiracy, malicious damage, etc. the implication of etc is that other offences like forgery and serious offence may still be added to the Charge in court in order to keep Nwebor in jail for long. The Arraignment Notice is attached herewith."
Omotayo, recalled that on August 22, 2023, when the AIG Zone 13, ordered the return of the N500,000 extorted from Cletus Nwebor back to him. He gave necessary protection to Cletus Nwebor to ensure that he was never intimidated as he condemned the plan attempt of the Sectional head of the indicted officers when he wanted to serve an Arraignment Notice for Forgery and malicious damage on Nwebor, in order to get him remanded in prison.
According to him, "the AIG had said whatever investigation carried out by the affected officers of that section cannot be trusted and such investigation cannot stand. He thereafter, nullified the “Arraignment Notice” and ordered that fresh investigation will be conducted on the matter, which nobody invited Nwebor or the Complainants before the incident of yesterday.
"It would be recalled that Mr. Cletus Nwebor and his father Jeofrey Nwebor, had sometimes in November 2022, made a petition to the Commissioner of Police Enugu State titled: “RE: Illegal And Unlawful Fraudulent Removal Of Boundary Marks With Intent To Defraud By Mr. Paul Oscar Udoji And Mr. Ifeanyi Nwandu”. While the matter was being investigated at the State CID Enugu, the duo of Paul Oscar Udoji and Ifeanyi Nwandu ran to Police Headquarters Zone 13 and made a petition against the Nwebors."
He further stated that the issue of trespass to Nwebors’ land was not investigated so also the criminal act of fraudulently shifting boundary marks/beacon made against Udoji and his cohorts was not investigated instead the Nwebors’ became suspects at Zone 13.
"It should be noted that the Police officers went ahead to determine that the land did not belong to the Nwebors and that their title documents were forged despite the fact that Cletus Nwebor and his father had approached the court and filed a suit before the Enugu State High Court in: Suit No: E/484/2023, MR. JEOFREY NWEBOR & ANOTHER V. MR. PAUL OSCAR NDOJI & 2 OTHERS."
The CRRAN, however, demanded a compensation of N1 billion to paid to Bar Desmond Kakaan for alleged damages and public apology by the Nigeria police for unlawful attack on this lawyer by these policemen.
"We further demand a thorough independent investigation of this matter distinct from policemen of Zone 13, (possibly the Complaints Response Unit Abuja, which had also called that they were directed to investigate the matter) who are trying at all cost to protect these black sheep to escape justice.
"We condemn in an unequivocal term the attack by ASP Okilo and PC Ifeanyi on Bar Kakaan. Security agents owe the citizens of this country the constitutional duty to protect every citizen of this country and not deprived them of their fundamental rights."