It seems Nigeria’s justice system is now offering get-out-of-jail cards. How else do we explain the mysterious disappearance of two prime suspects in the murder of Honourable Justice Azuka while under the watch of the Anambra State Police Command?
Yes, you read that right.
According to media reports, the two men, arrested for their role in the gruesome killing of the Onitsha one constituency representative, somehow found the means to escape from police custody.
And now, the same police that let them slip through their fingers are ‘vowing’ to re-arrest them. If only assurances could handcuff criminals.
How did they escape? Who opened the doors? Were they aided by insiders?
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, must do more than offer reassurances. In fact, he must take full responsibility for this security disaster.
We demand an independent investigative panel to uncover the truth about this so-called escape. Officers found complicit must not just be transferred to another division. They must face prosecution.
To the Anambra State Police Command, set a concrete deadline for the re-arrest of these fugitives. The Nigeria Police Force must allow an independent investigative panel to review the circumstances of the suspects’ escape and expose any internal complicity. The officers responsible must be named, shamed, and prosecuted.
To the Anambra State government, stop treating justice like an abstract concept. Demand accountability from your police force, or risk becoming known as a state where justice is as fleeting as a suspect in police custody.
And to the everyday Nigerian, if this can happen to a lawmaker, imagine what happens to the ordinary citizen. Demand better. Speak up.
Photo source: Nigeria Police Force
