The people of Obeagu Community in Enugu South Local Government Area have accused the Enugu State Police Command of bias and injustice following the arrest of a developer after the death of a suspected militia member who had allegedly murdered an Obeagu youth last Friday.
According to community sources, one person was apprehended by the villagers in what appeared to be a reprisal attack after the killing of their kinsman, Onyedika Chukwu Ede. The suspect, identified as one of the armed men involved in the earlier attack, was reportedly caught while attempting to escape.
Eyewitnesses said the suspect was beaten by an angry mob before police operatives arrived, rescued him, and whisked him away. However, the police later announced that the suspect had died, prompting a fresh wave of arrests in the community.
The development has sparked outrage among residents, who accused the police of turning a blind eye to the original murder while focusing their energy on arresting villagers over the suspect’s death.
A spokesperson for the community, who spoke with reporters, expressed disbelief at what he described as “selective justice”.
“This is incredible. The police are hunting for those behind the death of the man who slaughtered our son in broad daylight, without saying a word about those that committed the murder that led to the attack on the suspect,” he said.
“The murder of our kinsman doesn’t mean anything to the police. But the life of the suspect who killed our son is more important. The police know those who killed our kinsman, but they are above the law and cannot be arrested. Yet, they are hunting for villagers who attacked the man who murdered their kinsman.”
He further alleged that some police officers accompanied the armed men during the initial attack on the community.
“Of course, some policemen accompanied the armed men who attacked our people on Friday; so what do you expect?” he added.
The community spokesperson lamented what he called a deliberate attempt to silence Obeagu people, insisting that their struggle was about protecting ancestral land handed down by their forefathers.
“We are crying out for the world to hear our voice; you cannot beat a child and ask the same child not to cry,” he said.
“This land was bequeathed to us by our forefathers, and we have refused to allow a few people take it away from us by force. That’s why they want to kill all of us.”
Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Daniel Ndukwe who was contacted Sunday night was yet to send a reaction as at the time of filing this report.
