The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has raised concerns over the whereabouts and safety of Nwosu Chikamso Jennifer following her return to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, Anambra State.
The rights group said Nwosu had earlier sought its intervention after alleging that she was detained for four days at the police facility because operatives were looking for her brother, who was reportedly wanted in connection with a murder case.
According to Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of RULAAC, Nwosu contacted the organisation on September 6 and alleged that she was arrested on August 31 after police operatives failed to locate her brother.
She reportedly told the organisation that she was detained for four days and repeatedly asked to produce her brother, despite not being accused of any offence herself.
RULAAC further said Nwosu alleged that ₦600,000 was paid on September 3 for her administrative bail. However, she said she was not issued a receipt or acknowledgement, while her mobile phone was seized without a seizure form or property receipt.
The organisation said Nwosu identified the investigating officer as Odoh Kingsley of RRS Awkuzu and informed it that she had been directed to report back to the station on September 7.
RULAAC said it subsequently contacted the Anambra State Police Command, seeking clarification on the legal basis for her initial arrest and detention, the alleged payment, the retention of her phone and the circumstances surrounding her scheduled return to the station.
However, the rights group said it had been unable to reach Nwosu since she reported back to RRS Awkuzu on September 7, as her phone had remained unreachable.
RULAAC said the situation became more concerning after it received telephone calls from senior police officers, including the Police Public Relations Officer and the Commissioner of Police.
According to the organisation, the Commissioner said Nwosu had “betrayed” the police by reporting the matter to RULAAC and claimed that she had denied, in the presence of her lawyer, telling the rights group that ₦600,000 was demanded or obtained from her.
RULAAC said the position attributed to Nwosu by the police conflicted with written communications in its possession, in which she had expressly alleged that the money was paid for her administrative bail and sought assistance in obtaining a receipt and, if necessary, recovering the money.
The organisation said it could not determine the reason for the conflicting accounts because it had been unable to speak with Nwosu since her return to the police station.
RULAAC also expressed concern over what it described as a reported order for Nwosu’s rearrest, saying it had not been informed of the specific offence for which the alleged rearrest was ordered, her current place of detention or whether she had been taken before a court.
While acknowledging the police’s responsibility to investigate any serious criminal allegation involving Nwosu’s brother, the rights group maintained that criminal responsibility is personal and that no individual should be detained merely because authorities are looking for a relative.
It called for clarification on whether Nwosu had been rearrested, the legal basis for any detention, whether she had access to her lawyer and family, and the status of her mobile phone.
RULAAC also urged the police to guarantee that Nwosu would not face reprisals for seeking assistance from a human rights organisation.
The organisation said that if she was in police custody, she should be allowed access to counsel and family and either released or promptly brought before a competent court in accordance with the law.
Nwanguma said RULAAC would escalate the matter to appropriate police oversight and human rights authorities if Nwosu’s whereabouts and legal status were not promptly clarified.
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However, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said Nwosu’s rearrest was connected to a murder case being investigated in Awka and what he described as inconsistencies in her statements to the police.
Confirming that Nwosu remained in police custody, Ikenga said the police were analysing information relating to communications between her and the wanted suspect, who is still at large.
“The police cannot be distracted in our investigation by diversionary tactics of accusing the police of collecting money for the release of the suspect.
“During interrogation, conducted in the presence of her lawyer, Miss Nwosu denied communicating with the suspect for over five years.
“However, information available to investigators indicates that she and the suspect communicated on the night of the incident.
“The communication under investigation included information concerning the death of the victim and an alert to the suspect that the police were closing in on him.
“We are still analysing that information. So, the suspect is still in our custody,” Ikenga said.
