5 Nights In The Awkuzu-based Murder Chamber Of Sars (Aka Cid Annex) & 77 Days In The Custodial Centre, Onitsha

January 20, 2022, was as normal as other mornings we had witnessed in the New Year. It was a Thursday and as usual, we started the day with our morning devotional.

The kids were prepared and sent to their Schools, happily bidding them farewell with the assurances of reuniting with them in the evening. Who says and it comes to pass when the Lord has not approved? From their Schools, I drove to my office.

Attendance was poor and skeletal because of the sit-at-home order that took almost that week. Electricity supply was characteristically unavailable. After a few hours of induced inactivity, as 98% of my work schedules are domiciled in my computer system, I decided to go back home. My decision to retire home was prompted by two reasons viz; assurance of electricity supply and a replicated office at home. Indeed, most reports I write, vet, or print are regularly done at home with my personal laptop and printer.

While at home working, my wife received a very rare phone call from her niece living in Lagos with her hubby. She simply called to exchange pleasantries. Immediately, I had a premonition of an unpleasant occurrence and I prophetically said to my wife, ‘’something is wrong’’.

Little did I know that the evil one had conspired with fellow dark souls in uniform to cause harm to a man with the grace of God.

At 3.00 PM, I left my home with a feeling of fulfillment that it wasn’t a wasted day after all. Counted as part of the achievements while at home was a conclusive work on a report generated by my subordinates in the field almost vetted and letters were written on behalf of my town to be dispatched the same day. For the letters, I had agreed on a rendezvous with my contact at Udoka Housing Estate, Awka from where I would proceed to do the school runs.

Like Ejiofor Okocha in the Afam Ogbotogbo’s hit song, I neither got to my destination nor came back to my house again until 82 days after. The kids I was supposed to pick up from school got stranded till at 7.00 pm when she got information about my abduction.

Along the way, I realized that I did not have enough money that would carry my family and me through the approaching weekend. I was inexplicably led to branch into my office to collect ‘’pocket money’’ from my reserves instead of going to the ATM. This particular act turned out to be my saving grace for less than 20 minutes I parked a SIENNA bus with 6 well-built and heavily armed men in mufti also parked behind my vehicle.

The vehicle, a white HILUX van was parked along the road in front of our new office complex because I didn’t intend to stay long. I picked up the money, exchanged pleasantries with my boss (State Auditor General), and proceeded to where my vehicle was parked with a sister-in-law and professional colleague who wanted to stop along the Enugu-Onitsha expressway en route to Onitsha. As we approached the parked HILUX my phone rang and as I looked up I noticed the SIENNA and its occupants. Instinctively, I beat a retreat into the office of the State Auditor General and the men in mufti came down in pursuit threatening fire and brimstone. They did not only violate the sanctity of the office of my boss, but they also ignored his protestations of lack of due process in arresting me as they manhandled the female professional colleague with me who raised and sustained the alarm that drew the attention of other people to their planned abduction. They did not shoot me in the office either because they were not under instruction to do that or because the environment wasn’t conducive. However, I was beaten blue and black. I didn’t know I was that strong. They forcefully took my handsets (and that of my female professional colleague), money, handkerchief, a bunch of keys, and everything on me. Meanwhile, I was handcuffed.

Having ‘’successfully’’ executed the abduction they zoomed off in their SIENNA. They left no ‘’forwarding address’’. They simply identified themselves as ‘’Police” of no name and address. As we drove along I wanted to know where I was being taken to. Mum was the response. They turned to ask me, ‘’what is your name?‘’; ‘’are you the PG of Abba?’’; ‘’when did come back from Benin?’’; ‘’Do you know Best Aluminum?’’; ‘’when was the last time you spoke with Best Aluminum?’’. Such inanities. At Abba (my town), the one sitting with me at the back told me that we were going to Awkuzu after he had warned me of dire consequences if I failed to ‘’cooperate’’ with my would-be interrogators. I thanked my newest counselor then.

At the murder chamber, the hostility of the personnel was unmistakable. Their jubilation was unmasked and statements like, ‘’is he the PG, Abba?’’; ‘’your charm has finally failed you’’ were made.

In the ante office of the OC (SARS) were the OC (SARS), his Secretary, OC (Legal), a man who identified himself as a citizen of Awkuzu, and one or two other policemen. Less than 5 minutes after our arrival and still in the ante office came in a shameless lackey of Prince Arthur Eze and another person ostensibly on the invitation to confirm their heroic in arresting me and ‘’settle’’ them accordingly. He does everything ignoble for his master and bears the name Andrew (aka Andy) Muodili. As soon as he sat down in-between OC (SARS) and OC (Legal) he said ‘’Yes, he was the man supplying ammunition to his people the day Ukpo and Abba communities fought.’’ I did not directly respond to his idiotic outburst but I asked the OC (SARS) to restrain him or else. Surprisingly, everywhere became silent until I was handed over to my Investigating Police Officer (IPO). Earlier, I had boldly reminded the OC (Legal) that he was working for a known paymaster when he said I was ‘’very wicked’’ and threatened to ‘’tear me into pieces’’.

In a question and answer session with the IPO, Mr. Philip from Benue or Kogi State, on the evening of Thursday, 20th January he flared up because I would not confirm his preconceptions about me and my town, Abba. He called me names but as a seasoned administrator I simply said to him thus, ‘’Mr. Philip, don’t take this matter personal’’ to which he retorted, ‘’What will happen if I take it personally?’’. I replied, ‘’I don’t know what will happen but I’d advise that you act as professionally as you can in this matter.’’ He said no further. Before then, his colleague had warned him to ensure that I spent the night in a cell I later learned was designated for the condemned. I slept in cell 5 to, according to them, ‘’soften’’ me. It was dark and without ventilation. Both the door and protector were made with iron. The ceiling was protected with iron bars. I met 4 people as inmates. I mistook one of them at the extreme of the wall for a rag because he had become a skeleton. His name was Chinonso. What became of him eventually I don’t know, but I won’t be surprised to hear that he died after I left the murder chamber. They complained of being denied water and food for days. I can confirm this because my request that my money in their possession should be deployed to providing water, bread, garri, and biscuit (Cabin), for at least a day, to them was ignored.

In the morning of Friday, 21st January I was brought out in my pant and singlet, taken to another office with the same IPO, but now with a superior officer who goes by the name Supol Essien, for another round of question and answer. We were in it until the afternoon. At a point, they tried to be persuasive – ‘’we know you were not involved and as a leader, we understand why you would protect your people but that would be to your detriment’’. I replied that as a leader I would always seek and protect the collective interest of my people as long as they have not done wrong. They changed their style. In a low tone and coded manner, both of them agreed to send me to the ‘’theatre’’, a euphemism for their infamous torture slab. They underrated the sensitivity of my auditory faculty and interpretative capacity.

I was escorted to the torture slab by 3 armed young men, all of them are Igbo. They were under the supervision of Supol Essien. Each of them had a packet of cigarettes. At the slab, one of them said, ‘’Look, PG, you’d better tell us the truth because you may not survive the torture and nothing will happen’’. I simply replied that if it was the will of God it would be a noble death for me. Supol Essien tried to raise the bar by asking for his service pistol. I remained unfazed.

On the ground were expended bullet shells and droplets of blood. I was ordered to lay face down, hands taken behind and tied at the wrists with a strong rope, my feet were tied together too at the ankles. My tied feet were lifted and tied with my hands after 3 failed attempts. I was ‘’resting’’ on my stomach with great discomfort. I was in pain. Notwithstanding, they lifted me from the tied arms with a long rod or stick and hanged me on an improvised platform that looked like a winch. I was swinging like a pendulum. The inmates called it ‘’hanging’’. While on the platform, they repeated the same questions expecting different and acceptable answers. At a point, I exclaimed, ‘’God! Are you still on your throne?’’. A few minutes after, Supol Essien reappeared and ordered them to dismantle me.

After the theatre experience, I was transferred to a new cell called cell 4. Poorly ventilated. Its door served as the only source of air. Saturday, 22nd was a ‘’work free’’ day for them and me. At intervals, policemen came asking of me and they would never pass any message to me. I asked the old inmates why were they asking of me and they would tell me that they wanted to find out if I was there. My wife, brother, and sister had been coming since Friday and they denied my presence in their custody. When news of my abduction filtered out the police high command at Awka denied any knowledge only to recant when the pressure became too much.

On Sunday, 23rd my wife and sister were allowed to see me. The OC (SARS) came and said we were blackmailing them with the falsehoods. That I was denied visits, access to my drugs, and food. My wife boldly told him that she had been coming since Friday and on each occasion, she was turned back. Indeed, she saw both the OC (SARS) and IPO, though she did not know them. He, OC (SARS), asked that I should eat the food brought by my wife and sister in their office and that I should be transferred to cell 2 – a relatively better cell. I thanked him but rejected his sudden show of love (fake love). I chose to eat my food and stay in cell 4. On the evening of that Sunday, they organized a kangaroo identification parade. The messenger, Mr. Andrew (Andy) Muodili came with a young man who identified himself as a Surveyor. This young man came to where I was standing with 4 other people and pointed at me. Laughable! They took my pictures with his hand on my shoulders both from the front and back. I complained and cursed them. Instantly, the IPO got his punishment. As he was trying to lock our cell protector he got badly injured. Though I sympathized with him, it never came from my heart.

On Monday, 24th, I was called out by the IPO. I read and signed my statement, 4 days after my abduction. In all the cells I stayed in the inmates treated me well. I responded by making provisions for their needs. They had a good time also while I was there.

On Tuesday, 25th, I and 4 other persons from Abba arrested since November 2021 were arraigned at the Magistrate Court, Nteje on charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. Expectedly, the Magistrate remanded us at the Custodial Centre, Onitsha. Obviously, to impress his paymaster the OC (Legal) continued his threats to deal with me (PG, Abba) out of the courtroom. Little did he know that the woman before him as he made the threats was the wife of the same PG, Abba (my wife). When I inquired of him I wasn’t disappointed with the outcome. He had his secondary education in one of the backstreet secondary schools in Onitsha notorious for violent and unruly disposition.

The police at the State Command and SARS were obviously working under a very strong and powerful influence. The charges are conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder of a man from Awkuzu and the acts were allegedly committed in Awkuzu. The questions that are logically thrown up include;
i. Why would Andrew (aka Andy) Muodili of Ukpo be invited to SARS office as soon as I was brought to the Station?
ii. Why would Andrew (aka Andy) Muodili of Ukpo be the person to bring the so-called Surveyor and guide him during the identification parade?
iii. What was the interest of Andrew (aka Andy) Muodili of Ukpo that he would come to the Magistrate Court, Nteje to give money to the OC (Legal) and the police team that conveyed us to the Custodial Centre, Onitsha?
After I was abducted, the State Auditor General ordered that my official HILUX vehicle should be brought into the office complex for security reasons. He gave the driver the spare key. Unknown to the men of SARS that the vehicle had been removed from the road where it was parked, they came in the night of the same day to ‘’steal’’ the vehicle. They were resisted by the office security guards on duty and they left after they realized that the tyres had been deflated. To date, the men of SARS are still in possession of the keys to my HILUX vehicle and my office. They have denied to my wife through the IPO that they don’t have the keys. The question is, how did they intend to carry the vehicle on the Thursday night of my arrest when they came back to my office?
The State Command did not hide the leadership’s desperation to put me away for a very long time while in the Custodial Centre, Onitsha. As usual, it went to the Magistrate Court, Ukpo obtained a warrant of arrest for me and others. It went further to procure a production warrant for me to appear before the court. The charges are arson, conspiracy, armed robbery, and attempted murder. These charges had earlier been preferred against 6 people of Abba origin on 13th October 2021 at the same Magistrate Court, Ukpo. Could the leadership be doing this as a mark of its diligence and professionalism? Desperation to satisfy one man!
I do not wish to relay what the inmates told me while in SARS custody as it will amount to hearsay. Suffice it to say that something sinister is going on in that complex. The Police authority outside Anambra State command should thoroughly look into the activities of the personnel of that office.
At the Custodial Centre, Onitsha, I was well received. I learned new things. I made new friends. I got overwhelming support and love from my subordinates in the office.

My people from Abba stood solidly behind me. However, in the Custodial Centre, Onitsha I observed a failure of the Welfare, Medical and Kitchen sections. This failure could partly explain the hatred of the Warders by the inmates. The inmates see exploitation all around them. Is it possible that the daily feeding allowance of the inmates is given to them in cash instead of the ‘’poison’’ they are being served in the name of food?

Ekwuagana Alexander
PG, Abba