ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Police officers who were attacked, wounded and disarmed by unknown gunmen have raised the alarm over their continued detention.
According to them, they have been in detention for about five months without trial.
The affected Police Officers are; Inspector Ubakwem Udoka, Inspector Sunday Alhamadu and Sgt. Udeogu Chidi.
The officers spoke through their Counsel, Barrister Godwin Onwusi in a petition to the Inspector General of Police, through the A.I.G, Force C.I.D Annex, Enugu State.
The petition, entitled: “Request/Petition For You To cause An Investigation Into the Long Unexplained and Unconstitutional Detention of The Under listed Police Officers By The Abia State Police Command”, was made available to journalists in Enugu on Wednesday.
Onwusi said that the officers were, in September 2022, attacked from behind, wounded and disarmed by unknown gunmen while they were at their barricade duty post, opposite the State CID, Umuahia.
The Counsel noted that they sustained serious injuries during the attack, while the attackers took away their arms, adding that since their detention, they have not been briefed on why they are being detained for that long.
He argued that the situation could discourage or demoralize other officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.
Onwusi pointed out that the officers have not also been charged to court, neither were they being paid salaries since then.
He noted that the development had brought untold hardship to the families of the officers who are dependent on the salaries of the officers.
Barrister Onwusi therefore, called on the authorities of the police to use their good offices to look into the case of the officers with a view to either releasing them, having kept them in detention for so long.
Onwusi, in the petition, copied to the Police Service Commission, said that they have instruction of their clients to proceed legally to enforce the fundamental rights of the officers.