Police to sanction DPO, two others over suspect’s disappearance from custody

Nigerian Police [PHOTO CREDIT:
Leadership News]

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnanna Ama, has ordered the immediate issuance of queries to the divisional police officer (DPO) in charge of 3-3 Police Station and a deputy superintendent of police over failure to account for the whereabouts of an arrested crime suspect.

Mr Ama gave the order on Monday, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the police spokesperson in Anambra State , Tochukwu Ikenga.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the commissioner issued the order after he personally interviewed an unnamed complainant and the police officers concerned over a viral video alleging that an armed robbery suspect arrested and brought to the station could not be accounted for.

The police chief also ordered the immediate commencement of disciplinary proceedings against a police inspector in connection with the incident.

Mr Ama, according to the statement, described the allegation as serious and capable of undermining public confidence in the police.

He stressed that the command would not condone any act of unprofessional conduct, dereliction of duty, abuse of office or compromise of established procedures by any police officer.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained the viral video in which some residents were heard narrating how the incident happened.

In the clip, the residents said in late September, over 18 armed robbers attacked their residence around 2 a.m. at Trans Nkisi Area of Onitsha and made away with several valuables worth millions of naira, including laptops and mobile phones.

They said some vigilante operatives later arrested one of the armed robbers and subsequently handed him over to the officers at the 3-3 Police Station.

One of the residents, Chinonso Chukwudi, claimed that upon handing over the suspect to the police, the suspect expressed interest to take the police to the area where he and his criminal gang usually sell properties they dispossessed from their victims.

Mr Chukwudi claimed that the police, however, threatened to release the suspect if the occupants of the house failed to pay N100,000 even after the tenants provided a vehicle to convey the police and the suspect to the location.

“They said the N100,000 was a mobilisation fee. We thought it was a joke. When we came back, they claimed the criminal had disappeared from their station,” Mr Chukwudi narrated.

According to the police statement, Mr Ama has ordered the X-Squad of the command to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest, detention, documentation and subsequent whereabouts of the suspect.

The commissioner said the investigation should equally determine the actions and responsibilities of officers involved.

He further said necessary operational measures have been put in place to facilitate the re-arrest of the suspect, while assuring the public that the command would communicate the outcome of the investigation when established.

The police chief also cautioned members of the public against the circulation of unverified information capable of prejudicing an ongoing investigation, noting that facts must be established through due process.

He reiterated that accountability remains a core component of the command’s leadership philosophy, and that no police officer was above scrutiny or the established disciplinary process.

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