Blessing Amarachi Azoribe, PBA Journalism MenteeThe Students Union Government (SUG) of Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, has called on the Commissioner of Police Anambra State Command, to stop operatives of the Special Anti- Cult Squad (SPACS) from further raiding hostels and brutalising students.
SUG Public Relations Officer, Comrade Ikechukwu Dikeojo, made the call in a statement released on Sunday, 22nd January, giving the police command 24-hour ultimatum to call officers of the SPACS units to order.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe Unizik SUG PRO claimed that the officers of the SPAC squad had, in the early hours of Sunday, 22nd January, 2023, invaded some student lodges, harassed occupants and forcefully collected their phones, laptops, money and other valuables.
Some hostels in Unizik were earlier reported to have been attacked by criminals who allegedly raped female students. The rapists are yet to be arrested at the time of filing this report.
But Dikeojo said the police officers during the controversial operations claimed they were searching for Internet fraudsters, also known as ‘Yahoo Boys’.
The SUG PRO threatened that if their demands were not met, the students might choose to embark on protests and block major roads linking the capital city of Anambra State.
In the statement titled: “Police SPACS Enugwu Ukwu Anambra our Greatest Nightmare,” Dikeojo accused the police squad of oppressing innocent students.
He accused the Police of arresting innocent students and throwing them into illegal detention after which the officers demanded huge sums of money, as much as N200,000 (hundred thousand Naira) for bail.
This is done in contravention of the Nigerian Law, which stipulates that bailable offences must not attract any form of payment. In most police stations in Nigeria have the bold inscriptions: “Bail is Free”; yet, there is hardly any case where such is upheld, even when lawyers are involved in the bail.
Unizik students wrote: “I wish to bring to your attention the unruly and unprofessional display of intimidation, thuggery, criminality and immorality by a particular unit of the Nigerian Police Force called SPACS Anti-cult, located at Enugwu Ukwu.
“These unprofessional force men invaded our student lodges and forcefully collected their phones laptops, money and other valuables. They even threatened to rape one of our female students who raised the alarm and jumped into the bush from her balcony upon noticing their plans towards her, still they took her phone, laptop, money and PS4 game.
“They forcefully broke students’ doors thereby gaining illegal entrance into the students’ room simply because they claimed they were searching for Internet fraudsters (Yahoo Boys) in lfite. To our greatest surprise they committed these atrocious acts wearing their police uniform with SPACS boldly written on them and their AK47 Rifle weapons. What a display of irresponsibility, rascality and impunity?
“They usually come with a white unbranded bus for easy loading of innocent students and thereafter dump them in their cells and demand a whooping sum of N200k and above for their release. When shall this criminality from the SPACS end? Must students be suffering because they came to acquire knowledge in the university?”
“On this note, we Zikites are giving the commissioner of Police Anambra State Command, 24 hours to call the SPACS to order and return all the phones, laptops, Ps4 game, and money they forcefully collected from Zikites who reside in Prince Godwin lodge Ifite or face the full wrath and the anger of the students, as we will lead Zikites to block every entrance of this town if our demands are not met,” Part of the statement read.
The students have for some weeks now been accusing the police anti-cult squad of breaking doors of their rooms in the lodges and collecting their valuables in the name of arresting Yahoo boys.
There have also been incidents of armed robbery, vandalisation of properties, and raping of female students by criminal/cult gangs in the area.
Dikeojo said that in one of these robbery, operations a student lost his life while dragging his phone with the perpetrators in the first week of resumption this year.
A student whose name and identity is not know, in a voice note expressed his fear and wants to go home. He said “my only offence is coming to school.”
There has been an increase in the menace of cultism and armed robbery around Nnamdi Azikiwe University community in recent times.
Worried by the situation, Anambra State Police Command on Thursday, 19th January 2023 met with the management of the institution and the students’ union government, to find ways of addressing it.
Prime Business Africa (PBA) gathered this morning that Ifite is one of the most affected and targeted areas, most, especially Prince Godwin lodge.
According to a student living in the area, who spoke on phone, some lodges were attacked yesterday night and early hours of this morning. According to her, the criminal rate increased immediately after the death of Daniel, who died while dragging with the criminals.
“The emergency line given to us is not even going through,” the student who did not want to be mentioned lamented.
Prime Business Africa (PBA) made unsuccessful efforts the spolesperson of the Anambra State Command, Toochukwu Ikenga, to respond to the issue raised by the students as he declined comments. Calls to his telephone line were not taken while he responded to a text message saying he was busy and would respond at a later time.
He was however yet to react to subsequent text messages many hours after as PBA correspondent filed in the report.
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