Police speak on ‘arrest’ of lawyer who accused officers of extortion

The police in Enugu State have refuted reports that operatives arrested a legal practitioner, Frank Agbowo, over his allegations of extortion against police personnel in Nsukka, a local government area in the state.

Mr Agbowo, on Thursday, uploaded a video clip to his Facebook page in which he claimed some police operatives posted to the Nsukka Area of the state were extorting residents and motorists.

Giving an instance of the alleged extortion, he said he knew someone called Ikechukwu whom some operatives allegedly extorted N1 million from in the area at night.

Mr Agbowo claimed the operatives tortured and threatened to kill Ikechukwu if he failed to give them the money.

The lawyer appealed to the police authorities to identify and punish the officers.

On Sunday, some residents of Nsukka said police operatives from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) arrested the legal practitioner over his comments.

Clinton Ogbonna, the national president of the Nsukka Youths General Assembly, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police arrested Mr Agbowo on Sunday morning.

Mr Ogbonna said the youth body demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of the lawyer.

The youth leader contended that extortion of residents by police operatives has become common in Nsukka in recent times, adding that some personnel also extorted him in March.

He said Mr Agbowo’s “detention is a direct result of his courageous efforts to expose the unethical conduct of some rogue police officers” in Nsukka.

“His arrest is a blatant attempt to silence him and stifle his advocacy for accountability and justice.

“We urge the authorities to ensure that his rights are protected and safeguarded throughout this process,” he said.

Police speak

When contacted on Sunday afternoon, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Agbowo was not arrested.

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Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said the lawyer was only invited to provide evidence of his allegations of extortion against police operatives.

“We didn’t arrest him. We only want him to come and explain certain things to us. He did a video, so we need to know what (the allegations) are all about,” he said.

“We just want to get clarification so that it will help us manage the allegations he has raised and know who to deal with and who not to deal with.”