Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Anambra State Police Command has strongly denied allegations that its operatives demanded ₦600,000 for the release of Ms. Nwosu Chikamso Jennifer, insisting that she was arrested for actively assisting her brother, a wanted murder suspect, to evade arrest.
The Command's reaction follows a petition by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) to the police authorities, which accused officers of arresting Jennifer as a proxy for her brother, Nwosu Kenechukwu. In a statement signed by the Command's Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the police maintained that Jennifer was not arrested simply because of her biological relationship with Kenechukwu, but for actively hindering an ongoing homicide investigation.
Ikenga stated that Kenechukwu is a key person of interest in a series of cult-related killings in Awka, the state capital, and that Jennifer took steps to help him escape when law enforcement moved in to apprehend him. "Further investigation established that Ms. Jennifer became aware of efforts by Police operatives to apprehend her brother and subsequently assisted him in evading arrest," Ikenga said. "Her arrest was therefore made in the course of a legitimate criminal investigation arising from her alleged conduct, and not merely on account of her relationship with the suspect, as suggested in the publication."
Addressing the financial extortion claims raised by RULAAC, the police spokesperson categorically refuted the allegation that N600,000 was demanded or paid for her release. "The Command also categorically and unequivocally denies the allegation that ₦600,000, or any other monetary consideration, was demanded as a condition for Ms. Jennifer's release. At no time did the Police demand or impose any financial payment as a condition for her release," he added. According to the command, Jennifer was released on bail after agreeing to cooperate with police detectives in tracking down her fleeing brother.
However, in a swift counter-response, RULAAC faulted the police statement, revealing that its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, had personally reached out to SP Ikenga 48 hours before the matter was made public to verify the family's claims, but received no response. RULAAC questioned why Jennifer was detained for four days without being charged to court if she was indeed suspected of committing an offense, adding that a simple denial does not clear the serious allegation of extortion. The rights group maintained that Jennifer insists money was paid to secure her freedom and called on the Anambra State Commissioner of Police to order an independent investigation into the officers who handled the arrest and detention.
RULAAC warned that if the state command fails to conduct a transparent internal inquiry into the alleged proxy arrest and N600,000 extortion, it would submit a formal petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for a full-scale review.
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