Edo community calls for investigation of invasion by suspected policemen

The people of the agrarian community of Enwan in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo have petitioned security agencies and the Edo State Government over the invasion of the community by some armed men believed to be policemen, leading to the killing of a young man in the area.

The people also demanded that the concerned authorities dig into the way and manner the suspected policemen allegedly came in a private vehicle, which carried the emblem of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

In the petition, the community alleged that a staff member of the university who hails from the locality invited the suspected policemen who killed the victim, simply identified as Cosmos.

The alleged member of staff of the Afternoon Babalola University, the petition further alleged, was fond of “spreading false, defamatory, and inflammatory narratives across social and mainstream media platforms”, which they claimed were designed to justify the said invasion and the killing of Cofosmos.

The petition was addressed to the Inspector General of Police with copies to the Police Service Commission, lawmakers representing the area in the Senate, House of Representatives, and the Edo State House of Assembly.

Endorsed by the Chairman, Enwan Progressives Forum, Elder’s Council, Dr. Steve Momoh, Chairman, Enwan Progressives Forum, Comrade Israel Omokhafe, and Legal Counsel, Enwan Progressives Forum, Mrs. Rachael Akerele, the petition stated that the action of the police was unprovoked as they shot and killed Cosmos while he and others were trying to enquire from the police, their mission in the community.

The petition stated that policemen were said to have been dressed in black “tactical gear” marked RRS EKS.

The petition reads in parts:

“Their mission was never disclosed, and there were no visible warrants, badges, or proof of jurisdictional authority, thereby casting immediate doubts on the legality of their operation.

“This operation, disturbingly reminiscent of Gestapo-style tactics, flagrantly violated the principles of due process, the rule of law, and the fundamental respect for human life.

“The unidentified operatives approached the Enwan Mixed Secondary school, a space that typically serves as a hub of academic activity, and surrounding residential areas in a hostile and confrontational manner, inciting fear, confusion, and chaos among residents, particularly against the backdrop of existing insecurity in Edo North region and particularly Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, characterised by farmer-herder conflicts, kidnappings, and ritual attacks.

“This act of extrajudicial killing, the wanton and disproportionate use of deadly force, and the evident jurisdictional overreach constitute a grave violation of both Nigerian law and internationally recognized human rights standards.

“The action and invasion were unlawful, illegitimate, and in direct contravention of Sections 34, 36 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantee the right to life, the dignity of the human person, right to fair hearing, which is a cornerstone of human rights and due process, and freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment.”

The petition said no warrant of arrest was issued for any individual before the alleged invasion happened, adding that the unconfirmed claim of the suspected indigene of the community might have provoked the invasion

The alleged indigene, it was further claimed, was in the habit of baselessly accusing “Enwan community of being a hub for ritual killings, internet fraud, kidnapping, and even issuing fake customs documents, an unsubstantiated slanderous statement which amounts to dangerous ethnic profiling and collective criminalisation of a peaceful people and attempt to demonise Enwan Community.”

They, among others, demanded a joint independent inquiry involving representatives from the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Edo State Command, human rights organisations, and community representatives to ensure a transparent and unbiased investigation.