Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
A coalition of human rights defenders and activists have called for the immediate release of Nnamdi Emeh, a corps member who was arrested by the Nigeria Police for what it called “trumped up” allegation of impersonating an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Anambra State.
Emeh, 26, was undergoing his National Youth Service at the Anambra State police command before he was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force on February 20, 2023, over offences bordering on unlawful possession of a firearm, money laundering, defamation of character, fraud, and impersonation, among others.
He was said to have been arrested in a joint operation by INTERPOL operatives in the Benin Republic and Nigeria on Friday, March 3, 2023, and is currently detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
It was alleged that Emeh, an information technology (IT) expert while serving as a tracker in the Anambra State Police Command, started impersonating senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Anambra State including an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
Emeh’s arrest was also in connection with allegations of a case under investigation by the Force Headquarters in which top police officers in Anambra State Police Command were alleged to be involved in human organ trafficking, kidnapping and killing of suspects after extorting them.
However, a statement dated Tuesday March 14, 2023, jointly signed by 18 human rights groups, and obtained by Ikengaonline described Emeh as whistle-blower who only exposed the alleged extrajudicial killings by three officers attached to the Anambra State command.
“Nnamdi’s crime was that he revealed shocking details about police extortion, torture, extrajudicial executions, and organ harvesting by senior police officers in Anambra State.”
Gistlover, an independent digital news and entertainment platform, revealed details about how senior police officers in Zone 13 and Anambra State command were involved in extortion, extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearance, and organ harvesting of detainees in their custody.
However, the coalition said “shortly after the revelation, the police announced that it will launch a full-scale investigation into the allegations, but instead of taking the accused police officers into custody they declared Nnamdi, who works with the accused police team, wanted for sundry offences including suspicion that he must have passed the vital information to Gistlover blog.”
The group which said it is working to preserve whistle-blowing as a fundamental right of free expression described as unfortunate situation where laws relating to defamation, as well as the Nigerian Cybercrime Act 2015, continue to be abused and repeatedly used by the authorities in Nigeria to harass, intimidate and persecute whistle-blowers, human rights defenders and activists.
It said the Nigeria Police Authorities must drop what it called ‘trumped-up’ charges leveled against the whistle-blower. It also urged the police to immediately release Emeh or charge him accordingly, noting that he could be at risk of abuse and ill-treatment, instead of being protected by the police, if he is not released or charged to court immediately.
It maintained that the Force must end the intimidation, harassment and attacks on whistle-blowers, human rights defenders and activists as well as ensure that the report of a panel set up by the police authorities to investigate the allegation against top police officers in Anambra State is released promptly and everybody indicted, prosecuted according to the law.
It urged Federal Government to accelerate the process of enacting the Whistle-blower Protection Act to ensure the protection of whistle-blowers and human rights defenders in the country.
Members of the Coalition include:
- African Centre for Media & Information Literacy(AFRICMIL)
- HEDA Resource Centre
- Accountability Lab
- Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG)
- Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action)
- Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
- Sterling Centre for Law & Development
- Access To Justice
- The Southern Free Press,Inc
- Centre for Human Rights Advocacy & Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS)
- Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre RULAAC
- Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation (HURSDEF)
- Confluence of Rights
- Workers & Youth Solidarity Network
- Rivers Civil Society Organisations
- Justice for Peace and Development Initiative
- Avocats Sans Frontières
- Nnaemeka Ejiofor & Associates
