The Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Senator Abba Moro, has called on the Nigeria Police Force to produce his constituent, Bernard Ogbu, from the custody of the Police.
The 43-year-old Ogbu according to report has been in the custody of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Abuja for over three years without trial or bail.
Blueprint further gathered that the SARS’ operatives have never allowed anyone to see him.
Ogbu, who hails from Igumale community in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, was reportedly arrested on March 3, 2019 at his residence in New Nyanya area of Nasarawa State.
Till date, it was learnt that the police authority has neither pressed any criminal charges against him nor released him to his family.
Consequently, the situation according to the lawmaker led to depression and other health complications for Ogbu’s wife and others.
The prolonged detention of Ogbu reportedly caused the death of his wife last year, leaving behind four young children.
In a petition to the Presidency, Inspector General of Police, IGP, National Assembly, the National Human Rights Commission and other numerous agencies, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Barrister Napoleon Otache, raised the alarm on behalf of the family over Ogbu’s perpetual and cruel detention.
In the process, it was also learnt that SARS’ operatives also confiscated Ogbu’s personal belongings during the arrest and the operatives have allegedly converted the belongings to their personal use.
Further to his condemnation, Senator Moro strongly described as unprofessional the conduct of the police for refusing to charge the suspect to court within 48 hours as stipulated in the law.
The Senator has therefore called on the police authority to immediately produce Ogbu alive, “with public apologies and adequate compensation to assuage him of the torture, inhumane and degrading treatment he is being subjected to in the hands of the SARS’ operatives since 2019 till date.
“Under the Nigeria laws, no amount of suspicion is strong enough to earn a human being incarcerated indefinitely without trial in a competent court of law.
“The police should therefore expedite action and resolve the misuse of state power by its institution and provide answers to the questions being asked by the family.
“The whole world is watching to see whether the Nigeria Police Force has indeed yielded to the popular demand for an end to police brutality.”
