The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Aderemi Adeoye has described a recent protest by naked women from Awka Community, calling for his removal as Anambra CP, as the result of the resistance put forward by sponsors of cultism in Awka, who the State Police Command is already after.
According to him, the protest and numerous other are the antics of an Awka indigene, Ozo Jeff Nweke, who he alleged, sponsors cult activities.
(Watch the said video)
The protesting women, who went stark naked at the State Police Command, Amawbia, had called out the State CP and the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, S-CID, DCP Akin Fakorede, for allegedly being behind the cult related activities in Awka community.
Since the cult wars began years back, not less than 100 youths have been killed, with many others in exile.
About a week ago, a video leaked on the social media showing a police officer identified as Inspector Monday attached to the S-CID, being handed some wads of naira notes by Ozor Nweke in his office in Awka.
The report had claimed that the Police Inspector had demanded for the sum of N20 million as bribe to subvert justice, in the case of a land in cotention between a group from Enugwu-Agidi and the Join Pact Limited, which Ozor Nweke belonged to.
The narrator in the video had claimed that when Inspector Monday was told by the Join Pact Limited that they could not afford the amount, he however ended up collecting bribe of N100,000 to still keep the conversation open, hoping that the Join Pact Limited Group will muster the bribe he demanded.
But the State Police Commissioner, CP Adeoye, in a response on Wednesday, said the whole bribery saga was a media campaign deployed by the indidvidual to smear the image of the Command, for not siding with his criminal escapades.
“In a video clip he released alleging that one of the IPOs Inspr Monday demanded for N20m bribe from him and accepted a N100,000 offer, it was actually a set up against the unwary police officer.
“In the early days of investigation when Ozo Jeff was invited for questioning he feigned serious illness.
“This made DC CID to direct the Inspector to go and record his statement in his office inorder not to stall investigation.
“The detective did not go alone. He was accompanied by a female detective.
“Still the suspect did not make any statement. Instead he promised to come to the CID the next day to do the needful.
“He handed a wad of notes to the detective, which he said was to cover their transport costs. Inspr Monday even bowed to thank him in the video clip.
“That was not consistent with a person who demanded N20m bribe as claimed by the blackmailer.
“When the video failed to trend or win public sympathy to the crime suspect, he resorted to hiring people for sponsored protests against the Command targeting DCP Akin Fakorede, Inspr Monday and the CID,” CP Adeoye noted.
On how the police knew the protest was sponsored, the CP revealed “SIB operatives monitored the motley hired crowd who took off for the protest to State CID Awka from the house of Ozo Jeff Nweke. They were issued with placards and banners prepared by this fugitive from justice.
“Ozo Jeff Nweke, an Ozo title holder in Awka is the founder of Blue Shield Security Company. His operatives are armed with Pump Action Guns. For years, his operatives and the Police in CPS and ‘B’ Divisions in Awka conduct joint patrol of the metropolis.”
The Anambra Police Commissioner, who noted that the alleged support of the Blue Shield Security to the police did not yield in crime reduction over the years the alleged support lasted, said a lot of shocking revelations have been made on the operations of the said security outfit.
“It was curious that the said partnership the Blueshield had with the police did not stem the tide of cult-related killings until the Command launched an all out war against cultists in the City.
“This led to arrest and arraignment in court, of not less than 40 suspected cultists who were remanded to prison custody before normalcy was restored.
“Infact, a notorious cult killer arrested by operatives of this Command confessed on video that they killed an operative of the Blue Shield Security Company sometime last year, because he belonged to a rival cult group,” he said.
CP Adeoye revealed that in the last three months after his assumption of duty as Anambra CP, he has received several petitions from various communities in Anambra State, accusing Ozo Nweke of using armed operatives of his Blue Shield Security Company for land grabbing, which he referred to State CID, Awka.
He continued; “Investigation into the cases indicted him for using his armed operatives to seize lands belonging to individuals and communities including Nibo and Enugwu Agidi, which shares boundaries with Awka where Ozo Jeff is from.
“On one occasion, his operatives shot a Policeman from Delta Command and stole his pistol, after he accompanied his Principal to visit his property in one of the areas Ozo Jeff grabbed land.
“When CID Operatives who were already investigating the land grabbing case, which is made a crime by laws of Anambra State responded to the scene, Blue Shield guards opened fire on the Team.
“They were however overwhelmed by the Police Team, disarmed, arrested and detained. They have been arraigned in court.
“I gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Blue Shield company for the recovery of the stolen Police Pistol or else we would close down the company.
“DIG Celestine Okoye (Rtd) a friend and associate of Ozo Jeff Nweke called me and I explained to him reason for the ultimatum.
“In the evening of that day, DIG Celestine Okoye called me to his house in Awka and handed over the stolen Pistol to me.
“I handed it to DC CID whom I called to accompany me as a witness since he was the one handling the investigation.
“When I approved charge in the land grabbing case Ozo Jeff had with Nibo people, he rushed to Abuja in a bid to have the case taken over by Force CID with a view to escaping justice.
“DIG Force CID rather than taking over the case called for the duplicate Case File for a review in line with IGP’s policy on transfer of cases. At the end of the review this Command was directed by DIG Force CID to carry on with the investigation.
“Ozo Jeff Nweke and operatives of his company have been charged to court in three different cases, one at the Federal High Court and two at the State High Court.
“Despite being served with arraignment notices he has refused to appear in court. We will be applying for Bench Warrant for his arrest at the next sitting.”
