International Human Rights petitions Inspector General of Police over CSP Jane Mbanefo’s suicide squad at 3-3 Onitsha and the arrest , brutality of Citizen Chiamaka Nwangwu Esq

29th January, 2018
The Inspector General of Police
Nigerian Police Force
Force Headquarters
Louis Edet House
Ahmadu Bello Way
Central District Area
Federal Capital Territory
Abuja.

Sir,
INCESSANT BRUTALITY BY THE MEN AND OFFICERS OF THE 3-3 POLICE STATION IN ANAMBRA LED BY THE DPO OF THE STATION CSP JANE MBANEFO:
A CALL FOR THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF THE ASSAULT AND BRUTALITY METED OUT TO BARR CHIAMAKA NWANGWU BY THE DPO AND HIS MEN AND FOR APPROPRIATE SANCTIONS

The above subject matter refers.
The International Human Rights and Equity Defense Foundation [I-REF] is a collection of lawyers, media practitioners and social activists committed to the protection, enforcement, preservation and advancement of human rights, social justice and equality in Nigeria.
It is with a deep sense of disappointment that we write to your revered office, for immediate action, on the unsavory complaint of a female lawyer in Anambra State, Barr Chiamaka Nwangwu.  She was brutalized, tortured, intimidated and detained by the DPO of 3-3 Police Station, CSP Jane Mbanefo and her men for carrying out her legitimate duties as a legal practitioner.
We believe it will serve a useful purpose for you to read through the personal account of the lawyer-victim that she personally sent to us. It is attached herewith and marked as “ANNEXURE I-REF A”.
Disturbing as the referenced personal account is, it is important to inform you that I-REF is aware that not less than four other lawyers have received similar callous treatment from the same DPO and his men in the last few months. The media, especially the online/social media, has been awash with the news of another lawyer, Barr Cosmas Anyabolu who suffered even a more harrowing brutality in the hands of CSP Jane Mbanefo and his men at the same Police Station.
In fact, Sir, one lawyer who recently escaped the “Jane-Mbanefo treatment” while narrating his encounter with the DPO to us quoted her to have threatened him in the following words: “I have beaten up and detained several Lawyers before and heaven did not fall; if you don’t get out of this station I will deal with you the way I dealt with others and nothing will happen."
By the provision of Section 35(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, any person arrested or detained by the police for committing any crime has the right to remain silent or avoid answering any question until he has consulted with any legal practitioner of his choice. The provision is one of the safeguards provided in the Constitution to ensure that the fundamental rights of citizens are not trampled on in the course processing those accused of committing crime(s) by the police.
In I-REF, we strongly believe that lawyers should be the primus inter paris, or at least hold a strategic place in defending human rights of the people. Article 1 of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders provides that “everyone has right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.” To respect the fundamental rights of the people, the rights of those working to protect the rights of the people must first be held sacrosanct by all duty bearers, including the police. Anything short of this runs contrary to the letters and spirit of the Constitution, our grun norm, and other international instruments guaranteeing the rights and liberties of the people. Any attempt at brazenly harassing and intimidating lawyers out of the Police Station discloses a clear intention to trample on the rights of the people. We have observed, in the course of our work over the years, that it is only corrupt officers that get agitated on sighting a lawyer in a matter.
Furthermore, Sir, though I-REF considers it very reprehensible that a lawyer would be treated contemptuously, the outrage expressed herein is not only that Barr Chiamaka was grievously violated. We are most worried because if the DPO could muster the temerity to manhandle lawyers with impunity the way CSP Jane Mbanefo and her men always do, only God knows what the hapless and helpless citizens will be going through in their hands. We weep not only for lawyers, for if they do these things to green trees, what then shall be done to dry ones.
In the light of the foregoing, Sir, we call on you to direct that a thorough investigation be carried out into the alleged violent conduct of CSP Jane Mbanefo and her men at 3-3 Police Station in Anambra State. The investigation should be carried out by a competent, unbiased and professional team of Police officers. As a first step in this direction, Sir, the DPO and his co-travelers in this ill-fated journey of impunity should all be removed from 3-3 Police Station to forestall any form of interference while the investigation lasts.
At the conclusion of the investigation, all persons found culpable must be made to face adequate sanctions. It is our considered view that the appropriate sanction in the circumstance of this image-sullying matter should be dismissal and subsequent prosecution. This, we believe, will serve as deterrent to other offices in the future and help to rein in those already on the fringe.
We thank you in anticipation that this petition will receive the urgent attention it deserves.

Signed
For: International Human Rights and Equity Defense Foundation (I-REF)
1.    …………………

Justus Uche Ijeoma, Esq.
Executive Director
+234 (0) 803 711 4869; +234 (0) 818 282 9278
[email protected]; [email protected]




2. ……………………
 Akachukwu C.J Azubike, Esq.
Legal Officer
+234 (0) 806 290 0901
[email protected].





Cc:
The Chairman, Police Service Commission
The National Human Rights Commission
The Senate President of the Nigerian SenateThe Speaker, House of Representatives
The Minister of Police Affairs
 The Executive Governor of Anambra State
The Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly
The Chief Judge of Anambra State
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State
The Nigerian Bar Association, Onitsha Branch
Amnesty International Nigeria
 Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, NOPRIN
Human Rights Agenda Network
Frontline Defenders, Dublin. Ireland
Human Rights Watch, USA

 

HOW I WAS TORTURED, DETAINED BY A DPO, POLICEMEN IN ANAMBRA FOR SEEKING THE BAIL OF MY CLIENT
My Colleague in Abuja called me and pleaded with me to go to 3-3, Police Station Division, Nkwelle Ezunaka, Anambra State, on the 22nd day of January, 2018, to help his younger brother who was about making a Statement there; according to my Colleague, his younger brother was beaten up by his Landlord and boys.

When I got to there around 10am, I met the young Man making a statement at the IPO's office, I approached him and asked me what exactly happened and he narrated everything to me. He told me that his Landlord came a made a statement against him on the 21st night and I was also informed by his Parents that his Landlord has been with the DCO1, since 6am. I went to the office of the DCO1 and saw a man wearing a brown native cloth, without even knowing that he is the Landlord, I politely briefed the DCO1 and he told me that they are investigating the matter and we got talking from there. He also told me that if I am not satisfied with their investigations, I could transfer the matter to State CID or Area Command.

I also called the DCO2, met him outside and asked him if the DPO came to work that day, he told me that he was not around that morning but may come to work later. I called my mom on the Phone and told her about the matter I came for, as soon as we finished speaking on the Phone, I came in and saw the young man I came for, behind the counter and I signaled to him, he told me that the IPO and DCO1 asked him to stay there, I went out again to make some calls, came in again to meet the young man complaining the part of his body where he was bitten by his landlord was seriously bringing out pores and disturbing him, I told him sorry and went further to tell him that he would have taken an injection immediately after he was bitten, that it was very risky leaving it till the next day.
A huge woman on native clothes, who I later learned is Jane Mbanefo, the DPO became very aggressive and ordered me to leave the admin office. NOTE: I didn't know their DPO and have never seen her before; it was my first time of coming to that Police Station. She started shouting at me, asking me my interest in the matter and who I was to tell the boy that I came for on the kind of treatment he would get, I was very shocked and embarrassed. I was angry and on my way out of the admin office, when the woman continued talking, insulting lawyers generally, telling me that she is equally a Lawyer of 20yrs Post call.
She slapped me and one of the handle of my recommended glasses disfigured and fell off, other junior Police Officers joined hands and beat me up mercilessly. My black gown was torn and I was stripped naked, I managed to get my Phone out of my handbag to record and video the scene, but one of the Policewomen, took my Gionee A1Phone from my hand, smashed it and siezed it. My middle finger was broken and I sustained internal injuries. People were watching outside including the young boy I came for, his mom and dad.
I was detained at the Police Station and was asked to write a statement. Another Policeman slapped me and threatened that he would send his juniors to beat me up, before pushing me in the cell, while another Policewoman who just came in then, slapped me and pushed me, from the counter. She said she would have done worse if she were the other Policewomen that beat me up.
I was asked to write a statement, when my client's dad brought my bag from the scene where the incident took place and I discovered that #5,000 was missing from my handbag. They also threatened to shoot me or poison me if I sleep in the cell, till the next day. I made a statement and was thrown inside the Cell for about 6hrs before my Parents were contacted, with my NBA Chairman, my Principal and I later learned that the DPO fabricated stories against me saying that I slapped her and took their walkie talkie away.
When I was in the Cell, some Police Officers were forcing the person I came to see to write down implicating statements about me, but the young boy raised his voice and took his ground that they should rather shoot him to death instead of him making such statement, that they beat me up and stripped me naked for nothing; he vehemently refused They later took me from the Cell to the DPO's office and the NBA Chairman turned to me and said that she heard a nasty report about me and I told them they were all lies, in the presence of my Father, Mother, my Principal and another Senior Lawyer, I narrated everything that happened in front of them but my NBA Chairman didn't even allow me to finish wasn't allowed to finish because he turned to me and said "If I were you, I should not be talking", my mother asked me to keep calm and I did. He did not even bother to check my smashed phone which was before him.
My NBA Chairman asked me to go out of the office, and the IPO took me back to the Counter. After my NBA Chairman finished discussing with the DPO, he asked her what could be done for peace to reign and the DPO insisted I must write an apology letter of which the NBA Chairman agreed and made his final decision. I was forced to write  an apology letter afterwards before I could leave the cell of which I did after much pressure from my Mother who is very sick and could not stand her only daughter sleeping over in the cell, especially after I was threatened by the DPO and her juniors.
I was released after I wrote the apology letter thrice which the DCO dictated to me. The DCO2 was the person that dictated all the contents in the letter with the help of the female IPO in charge. NOTE: I heard when my NBA Chairman told the DPO that I am the 5th Legal Practitioner that reported to the NBA that I was beaten up in their Police station.
I have never experienced this type of thing as a Legal Practitioner and if something is not done, this impunity will continue. Police are meant to protect the citizens and not to turn them into Punch bags. Note : I told the DPO and other Officers involved that I MUST report this matter to the appropriate authority.
Up till now, I am still unable to understand why NBA Chairman conceded to my writing an apology letter? Why did he not inspect my Phone which was smashed, that was placed on the DPO's table, right before his eyes?

Attached are some photographic evidence and a medical report of my ordeal.

I demand justice.

By  Chiamaka Nwangwu Esq.
[email protected] 
0806133578”