By Ishaya Ibrahim
Acting News Editor
Police in Makurdi are arresting residents at random, extorting money from some, and labelling others criminals to shore up their rating in the fight against crime in Benue State.
On June 1, John Nnalegwu Edward, also known as Inas, was arrested in this manner, his family said.
Abduljafar Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of the family, narrated that when police officers asked Edward his occupation, “he told them he had just graduated from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi and was awaiting National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call up, but to keep body and soul together, he was doing video coverage jobs.
“But the policemen said he must be one of the bad boys in the area, wondering how a graduate can be doing video coverage jobs. That was how they arrested him.”
Muhammed said Edward was released on bail the following day after money allegedly changed hands at the police station.
He did not, however, leave with his Blackberry Z30 phone because the officer who had it was not available.
When he reported to the police station the following day to recover the phone, he was re-arrested and charged to court for culpable homicide.
Family members said the charge is vague and have not been able to make a sense out of it.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Kolawole, in a text message asked TheNiche to lodge a complaint with the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) of the police.
“They will investigate and feed you back on what the police will do to the officer,” she said.
She gave the CRU telephone numbers as 0805 700 0001 and 0805 700 0002.
The police are often accused of impunity, making random arrests at the scene of crime, and arraigning purported suspects in court. In many instances a case is dismissed when police prosecutors fail to prove it.
Anayo Anusiem has been crying for justice from Owerri Prison, Imo State since 2011 when he was arrested for alleged armed robbery.
He remains in detention due to the sluggish nature of the judiciary, and his inability to hire a legal team to defend him.
Daniel Gambo, a resident of Lagos, was arrested in August 2011 for alleged armed robbery and murder.
Justice Lateefat Okunnu dismissed the case after Gambo had spent four years in prison custody without the police being able to produce any witness or evidence.
