Ebonyi Police Command refutes allegation of ₦700,000 payment for release of suspects
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Ebonyi State Command, has denied an allegation that the State’s Commissioner of Police, ordered the collection of ₦700,000 each from six different families for the release of their sons, following their alleged arrest on the orders of a traditional ruler in the state.
A statement by SP Joshua Ukandu, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command, Abakaliki, said that the allegation was made in a social media post by one Mr. Justice Ozobi and challenged him to substantiate his defamatory allegation with evidence.
Ukandu said that the Command would have ignored the post, which he said is riddled “with typographic errors, incoherent assertions, and a glaring lack of factual accuracy,” including the use of the picture of a long-retired Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, which further demonstrates the author’s apparent lack of basic research and due diligence, but for the need to prevent the public from being misled.
He stressed that the allegation is, “false, unfounded, and without basis,” pointing out that the Command “does not handle land disputes. Consequently, any attempt to link the Commissioner of Police or the Command to the alleged collection of money for a land-related matter or the release of persons allegedly arrested in connection with such a dispute is completely baseless.”
The allegation, he insisted “is grave and malicious, calculated to malign, impugn the integrity and reputation of the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, and distract the Command from its ongoing efforts under her leadership to protect lives and property, prevent crime, and maintain peace and security across the State.
“The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command, remains committed to professionalism, discipline, accountability and transparency, and will not condone any act capable of bringing the Force into disrepute. Any allegation of misconduct against a police officer will be given due consideration and investigated on its merits where credible evidence is provided.
“Accordingly, the Command challenges Mr. Justice Ozobi to produce the evidence on which he based his allegation, as he claimed in his post. Rather than publish unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations apparently aimed at generating traffic and engagement on his social media platform, Mr. Ozobi should have put out the alleged evidence.”
The Command therefore called on members of the public “to exercise restraint and responsibility in the dissemination of information on social media,” pointing out that while the Command respects the right of citizens to air their views and raise genuine concerns, “the deliberate publication and circulation of false, malicious or defamatory information will not be tolerated.”
Ukandu said further that the “Ebonyi State Command remains resolute in its commitment to accountability, transparency and professional policing, and will continue to take appropriate legal action against individuals who deliberately circulate false or defamatory information capable of misleading the public, in accordance with the law.”
