Abia Police Unit Accused Of Midnight Raid: Father, Three Daughters Held For Weeks Without Trial, Access To Lawyers

A disturbing case of alleged police brutality and human rights abuse in Abia State has again surfaced, with police officers from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mopol Base Umuahia, reportedly arresting and detaining a man with three daughters for over three weeks in a dehumanised condition without trial or access to family and lawyers.

A human rights organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), which brought to light the incident, condemned the increasing human rights violations by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, calling on police authorities to intervene and ensure justice and accountability.

Quoting Mrs. Chioma Chikadibia, it said that her husband, Mr. Chikadibia Sunday, and their three daughters were arrested and detained by police officers from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mopol Base Umuahia, in a midnight raid on their family compound.

The incident, which occurred on April 12, 2024, was described as a shocking display of police high-handedness.

Heavily armed officers reportedly arrived in two vehicles, ransacked the family's property, broke doors and made away with valuables and cash.

The report said the family was left traumatised, with no explanation given for the arrest or the reason behind it.

One of the daughters recounted the terrifying experience, describing how the officers, who were not in uniform, stormed their home, ordering them to open doors and searching rooms.

"They were fully armed, they were five in number, they were not in uniform... They said go to Glory's room and search, where is Ikenna's; they broke the door of his room, collected all the properties inside his room and some money," she said.

The family's ordeal deepened when one of the daughters, Ngozi Chikadibia, was lured to a location through a call from an unknown number and subsequently kidnapped.

Her sisters, Sunday Glory and Gift Chikadibia, a final-year student at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, were also arrested and detained.

Three weeks after the arrest, the family remains in the dark about the whereabouts and well-being of their loved ones.

Despite visiting the police base with a lawyer, they were denied access to see them or hear from them. A reliable source, however, told the organisation that the family members were being held at the base, allegedly under maltreatment.

RULAAC's Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, in a human rights update made available to SaharaReporters, expressed outrage at the gross abuse of police power and human rights violations.

"RULAAC is alarmed at this information which reveals a gross abuse of police power, abuse of due process and established procedures for arrest, detention and treatment of persons arrested and detained for any alleged offence," he said.

The organisation urged the police authorities to step in and ensure a swift, impartial investigation. It urged the authorities to hold the responsible parties accountable while providing justice for the affected family. This incident underscores the urgent need for police reform and greater accountability in Nigeria, where citizens' rights are frequently violated.

As the family continues to endure their hardship, their suffering serves as a powerful reminder of the critical need to uphold human rights and the rule of law.

In the meantime, SaharaReporters' attempts to reach the Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, for comment were unsuccessful, as she could not be reached on her phone as at the time of filing this report.

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