Journalists in Ebonyi State are speaking out against the continued alleged assault, unlawful arrest, and detention by operatives of the Crack Squad of Ebonyi State Police Command. The journalists, Benjamin Nworie, a state correspondent for ThisDay, and Obinna Ogbonnaya of the Leadership newspapers, have shared their harrowing experiences and have petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for intervention.
In their separate narrations, Nworie, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ebonyi State chapter, stated that he was unlawfully arrested, detained, and extorted by the Crack Squad operatives. According to Nworie, the incident occurred when the operatives stormed the shop where he was sitting with three friends and apprehended them without giving any justification. Despite their attempts to identify themselves, they were swiftly taken to the state police headquarters.
“On Thursday, October 19, 2023, at about 7:30 pm, I stopped by my friend’s shop on the bustling G-hostel road. Shortly after I sat down with my three other friends, the Crack Squad officers spotted us, halted, and rounded us up. They confiscated our phones and forced me and my friends into their two hilux vans, taking us to the headquarters of Ebonyi Police Command,” Nworie recounted.
Nworie further disclosed, “Upon arriving at the Crack Squad office, we were forcefully ordered to undress and pushed into a foul-smelling cell with 32 other arrested individuals.”
On his part, Ogbonnaya Obinna, the regional director of Leadership newspaper, added, “It was a bitter experience for me last night. The young officer, who isn’t even older than my younger siblings, demanded that I pull over, treated me as if I were insignificant, and disregarded all my attempts to explain. He even ignored my ID card,” Ogbonnaya lamented.
When contacted for a reaction, the spokesperson for Ebonyi State Police Command, SP. Onome Onovwakpoyeya, stated, “Regarding the journalist (referring to Benjamin Nworie), he couldn’t identify himself during the raid, and as such, was taken to the headquarters. However, when the NUJ chairman arrived to identify him, he was released.”
