A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, also known as Intersociety, has protested the release of a crime suspect, Mr Chibuike Duru, by the Imo State Police Command.
It was gathered that the suspect with the nickname “Nwamgbenta” was taken into custody by the Imo State Police Command on Thursday, May 14, 2026, and freed hours later, allegedly without a detailed investigation.
Intersociety has described the suspect as a dangerous criminal who operates a dangerous gang, with a torture camp within their base.
The group, in a statement released to journalists and signed by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Mr Emeka Umeagbalasi and other principal officers of the society, said it was pained by the release of the suspect because investigations were yet to be concluded.
Intersociety said that with the release of the suspect, he can alter evidence and interfere with the investigation.
The group said Duru was arrested on the orders of the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, but lamented that if the command could treat a matter that emanated from the IG so shabbily, then other matters in the command are doomed.
The statement said, “The petitioners including the Law Firm of J.U. Ijeoma & Associates led by its Principal, Barr Justus Uche Ijeoma and human rights groups returned to the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command (CP Audu Garba Bosso), leading to the case file being withdrawn from the first investigating team (Violent Crimes Response Unit) and transferred to the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID’s Homicide Section (AC Dan Iroakazi).
“The matter was assigned to SUPOL Cosmos Anyanwu as the team leader.
“On Thursday, May 21, 2026, Suspect Chibuike Duru (alias Nwamgbenta) was re-arrested and taken into custody, and in the evening of Saturday, May 23, 2026, he was controversially freed on alleged orders of the CP.”
The group wondered what is the interest of the Police Commissioner in Imo State in interfering with the matter, while frowning at the heavy celebration that followed the second release of the suspect, in which his gang members assembled in his compound to wine and dine, while also shooting sporadically in the air in celebration.
He called on the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to urgently recall the case file from Imo back to Abuja, insisting that operatives within Imo State command cannot be trusted, following poor handling of the matter
