By Chinedum Treasure
Traders at Ozomagala street, Onitsha, Anambra State, under the aegis of Elders’ Forum have condemned continued detention of their chairman, Obiora Okolo, by the Inspector General of Police (IGP)’s Special Investigation Unit, (SIU), Abuja, for about a month now.
They urged the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, to come to their rescue disclosing that the police have continued to detain their Chairman beyond the constitutionally stipulated time.
Speaking through one of their leaders, Mazi Udogadi Ikechukwu, the traders said the officers always boast that IGP is aware of whatever thing they are doing and as such that they are protected.
He said: “We plead to IGP to look into the continued illegal detention of Okolo, chairman of the traders at Ozomagala street Onitsha, by the IGP’s SIU, Abuja. These officers have dragged the image of the police to the mud.
“Okolo with two other executive members of the market were bundled by the SIU from Onitsha to Abuja over plaza building agreement between Modebe Enterprises Ltd, (land owners) and the traders and after some weeks two executive members were released except the chairman, Okolo.
“We understand he (Okolo), is being held to sign a rewritten agreement that is contrary to the earlier one signed by both parties and that a lady from the Modebe family is behind the new rewritten document for selfish interest.
“We gathered also that the lady is backed up by a retired IGP from Igbo extraction and we believe that such illegality can not work under the watch of IGP Egbetokun who is a good listener that goes for justice no matter whose ox is gored, “the traders alleged.
“There is no way one who is not a part to an agreement will rewrite an agreement when none of the parties involved asked for the rewriting of the agreement.
“This is just why the chairman of the market, Okolo, is being detained by the police officers, to succumb to pressure and they continue to detain him instead of taking him to court.
“We know that unless for the IGP Egbetokun’s intervention, the market chairman will remain in detention until he signs the rewitten document that is in favour of the lady who vowed that she has the power to continue the detention even without taking the chairman to court.
“We plead to the IGP to order immediate release of the chairman and sanction the police officers who claim that they are above the law and can detain suspects as long as they want even in a civil matter.
“We gathered that the SIU stormed Onitsha on the directive of the lady who we learnt gave the policemen huge sum of money to effect the arrest and subsequent detention pending the signing of the new document,” he further revealed.
