A commercial motorcylist who was recently released from detention by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Owerri, Imo State, has been rearrested for exposing the vices of the officers of the team, SaharaReporters has learnt.
IRT was under the leadership of Abba Kyari, the suspended police chief who allegedly facilitated payments to police officers from Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Abass Ramon, aka Ray Hushpuppi, who has pleaded guilty to money laundering in the US.
According to a source, the motorcyclist was detained at the IRT office and subsequent upon his release, he informed some families of the whereabouts of their children, who were illegally detained in the IRT office.
One of such persons is Glory Okolie, a 21-year-old lady, who took the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on June 17 and was picked up on the same day. According to reports, her family had searched hospitals and mortuaries but the search yielded no positive result.
The source explained that the motorcyclist was arrested alongside Okolie on the said date but while he was released, she was detained and was reduced to a beast of burden, serving as a maid to the officers while in their custody.
It was learnt that the motorcyclist (popularly called okada rider in Nigeria) further informed the family of the whereabouts of the lady but he has now been picked up by the IRT officers for informing, not only Okolie's parents but also other families whose wards have been illegally locked up.
The source told SaharaReporters: “That girl, Glory Okolie, was arrested with the okada man. The okada man told all the parents that many of their wards are in detention and now his own whereabouts are unknown.
“The okada man was lured back, beaten and rearrested. All these were done under Abba Kyari’s watch while still at IRT. Apparently many innocent persons are in detention, unlawfully incarcerated by IRT.
“IRT officers usually extort money from parents and that's why they are carrying out these arrests. The least amount they receive from parents as bail is N200,000.”
A group, Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, had called out IRT officers Owerri, Imo State, for arresting Okolie and turning her into a maid in their custody.
According to a statement from the group, Okolie's family members had searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries but the search yielded no positive result.
However, when the motorcyclist was released from IRT custody, he informed them he saw the lady at the office washing and cooking for the officers after which the family sought to bail her.
Efforts by the family members to secure the bail of their daughter, however, proved abortive.
Meanwhile, a belated statement released by the police on Sunday, August 22, through the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aremu Adeniran, accused Glory of "complicity in the series of deliberate and well-coordinated attacks on security formations, other critical national infrastructure including INEC offices and killing of security operatives in the South-Eastern part of the country".
It continued, "The suspect, a native of Umutanza in Imo State, was arrested following ongoing investigations and implementation of the special operation, Operation Restore Peace, to amongst other things, break the information, drugs and arms supply chain to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network in the South-East region.
"Police investigations revealed that Gloria Okolie is a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Imo State who worked closely with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri a.k.a Onye Army, one of the ESN commanders earlier declared wanted by the Police for his lead roles in planning, coordinating and executing the attack on the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and Imo State Headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
"Her arrest and the revelations from her confession assisted the Police in the arrest of Onye Army, a major breakthrough in the quest to restoring law and order in the South-East region."
But human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, in his reaction to the statement by the police, said it was "obvious that this belated press statement was designed as a ruse to cover up some police atrocities!"
He noted that if Glory was as dangerous as the police had claimed, "why was she detained and used as a beast of burden to cook and help police officers wash their clothes at Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo?"
He said, "FreeGloryOkolie: After using Glory Okolie as a beast of burden, abused by Nigeria Police Force officers and unlawfully detained for over 70 days, and upon realising that the world has taken notice of her unlawful detention and abuse by police officers, the IGP of Police caused this 'earthshaking' press release to be issued to demonise Glory Okolie. The first few questions to the IGP are these:
"Why was she detained and used as a beast of burden to cook and help police officers wash their clothes at Tiger Base in Owerri, Imo if she is so dangerous?
"Why not issue this release since her arrest 70 days ago?
"Why wasn’t she charged to court since her arrest when the law says you have no right to detain beyond 48 hours?
"Why was the fellow who exposed her unlawful detention also detained?"
Earlier, Sowore had narrated his experience during his visit to the IRT of the Nigeria Police in Abuja, saying he and one of Glory's lawyers, Samuel Ihensekhien were not allowed to see the detainee.
"On Friday I visited the IRT offices of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja to see if I could visit a 21-year-old female, Glory Okolie, who was arrested in Imo State and had remained unlawfully detained for 70 days, although I was accompanied by one of her lawyers, Samuel Ihensekhien Jnr, the police officer who met us, their legal officer at IRT in Abuja did not grant us access to see her," he said.
Also, a global human rights group, Amnesty International, has expressed its dissatisfaction over the prolonged detention of the young woman.
It added that Gloria should be released or charged with a recognisable offence.
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