Brief Overview of Proposal to Fight Corruption and Extortion by officers of Law Enforcement Agencies Holding Siege in Anambra State, Nigeria – History of Proposal – Towards the end of 2008, a land-fraud-syndicat e boasting of connection with police violated Ezekwenna family in Nnobi, Anambra State and committed various sorts of crimes including impersonation, identity fraud, extortion,
money laundering, trespassing, threat to life and destruction of economic trees, aiding and abetting of criminal activities in attempt to encroach and take possession of a piece of their family land.
The authentic and family authority resisted the illegal entreat of the syndicate and reported the criminal element of the matter to Anambra State Commissioner of Police for investigation. The case was assigned to Anambra State Ccriminal Investigation Division, and officers from State CID, an elite investigative arm of Anambra State Police Command assigned to investigate our complaints started asking for huge amount of bribe money in order to properly investigate my complaints.
The suspects were arrested and released on bail. While that investigation was going on the leader of the syndicate contacted one of the victims living in United States on telephone and demanded large sum of money from him for peace with his group. That also was reported to the the same Anambra State police and again they demanded another large sum of money to investigate the crime.
Upon oral invitation from the officer of Anambra State Police Command, the US-based victim recently traveled to Anambra State, Nigeria to be present when the culprits are charged to court. But instead of charging the culprits to court, the police, including the top officers were asking me for huge sum of bribe money in order to do proper investigation and charge the case to court.
The US-based victim, a veteran of US Army, New York City Government-trained child abuse investigative caseworker and human rights advocate first complained to the aides of Anambra State Governor and members of Anambra State House of Assembly regarding his experiences and ordeal.
Those government officials had bigger tales of direct first-hand personal experiences of extortion, misconducts including harassment and intimidation, and cover-up of criminal activities by officers of Anambra State Police Command. None of the government officials were courageous enough to take their experiences to the authority fearing that the authorities are themselves part and thriving on the crimes and corruption.
Those officials encouraged the US-based victim to reduce his experience and protest in form of written petitions to Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Anayo Nebe and Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Philomen Leha for the interest of the public.
That petition was written and submitted about April 8 2010.
Following experience of our the US-based victim, a brief study was done on the subject matter which determined that Anambra State has alarming case scenario and hence the need to establish Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes (CACHC) with terms of reference devoted exclusively to deal with subject matter.
Inquiries made on officials of Anambra State Governor’s Office and Anambra State House of Assembly reveals acquiescence of topmost level officials of Anambra State governments. Officials have tales of worst cases, some of them personal experiences, and still no action on this matter.
Anambra State, Nigeria: Case Study of Law Enforcement Extortion, Degeneration and Thriving of Heinous Crimes
Anambra State is one of the 36 states making up the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigerian states have 3 arms of government: the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
Administratively, the state is run by a democratically elected civilian governor who is the head of the executive arm of government. The State Governor is the Chief Executive of the state as well as the Chief Security Officer of the state. The governor runs the state mostly through government organs called ministries and Task Force Units. Each ministry is headed by a Commissioner politically appointed by the governor. Below the Commissioner is the Permanent Secretaries and the rest of civil service personnel.
The Legislative arm which is the lawmaking body is headed by the Speaker. The lawmaking business is handled by various Committees and sub-committee. Anambra State has about 30 lawmakers.
The judiciary, the arm of government that interprets the laws is headed by Chief Justice of the State. The judiciary has judges, magistrates, arbitrators and many other judiciary staffs that assist in dispensing justice.
However, Nigeria like most economically under-developed and undeveloped third-world countries has a very unique and strange federal system of government. The federal government controls all the military defense agencies, the police, intelligence agency, Customs, Immigration, and other para-military, security and intelligence agencies.
Nigeria had a civil crises which actually blossomed in 1966 and resulted in civil war between the Federal Government of Nigeria and secessionist eastern Nigeria called The Republic of Biafra comprising mostly Igbo tribes. The Nigerian-Biafran war starting from 1967 and ended in 1970. At the end of war, the federal troops occupied the defeated Biafran territory.
Even though the victorious Nigerian government announced efforts to promote cohesion, unity and peace by declaring policy of “no victor, no vanquished”, “massive reconstruction and re-unification of destroy eastern Nigeria” and other terms; successive state administrators called “Military Governors and Military Administrators” and other federal military, police and para-military and security agencies’ personnel saw themselves as occupation forces and ensured further destruction and under-development of states in eastern Nigeria, including Anambra State up till this day.
While the pillage and destruction of eastern Nigeria, including Anambra State by the occupying federal forces continued with alarming degrees, the controlling federal structure looked the other way fueling the suspicion that the destruction and pillage were originally a federal plan.
40 years after the end of the civil war, the occupation mentality, pillage and destructive habit of the federal forces stationed in eastern Nigeria, including Anambra State has not changed.
Over the years, citizens, including locals from eastern Nigeria that secured employment in the federal occupying institutions joined in the pillage.
Even with the introduction of democracy in Nigeria in 1999 and election of indigenous eastern Nigerians, including locals (indigenes of eastern Nigeria, including Anambra State citizens), into their state offices, these new leaders have not yet gathered enough confidence to demand accountability from the federal occupation forces fingered to still be wrecking tremendous havoc on the conquered eastern territory.
The fact that most elections in Nigeria are marred with frauds and irregularities, the elected officials obviously knowing that they were not properly elected and perhaps may be involved in one crooked enrichment or another appear incapable to demand accountability from the the federal occupation forces fingered to still be wrecking tremendous havoc on the conquered eastern territory.
Therefore, there is need for a group of non-compromised, non-contaminated, motivated, dedicated individuals and corporate bodies to come together with sole purpose of generating resources and coordinating universally established and acceptable civil and legal activities designed to hold the systems and structures accountable and make them work the way they are universally supposed to for betterment of mankind.
Thus the proposed: Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes (CACHC), Nigeria.
Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes (CACHC), Nigeria
Invitation:
Motivated, Committed and Dedicated individuals and corporations are encouraged to join the proposed Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes specifically focusing on Anambra State geographical area, Nigeria.
Who Are Invited?:
Individuals: Anambra indigenes worldwide, namely Anambra citizens at home and Diaspora, friends of Anambra State anywhere in Nigeria and around the world that share the mission to liberate Anambra State from the dark grip.
Corporate entities: Corporate bodies, such as corporations, foundations, organizations, association, trade unions in Anambra and anywhere in the world that share the mission to liberate Anambra State from the dark grip.
Victims: Also encouraged to participate in this effort are victims of extortion, misconduct, mishandled investigation, intimidation and brutality. Victims practical experience and burning desire to effect change will be of great value to this effort.
Expertise/Specialti es: Including, but not limited to serving and retired: Lobbyists, senior government administrators, senior corporate leaders, media executive, civil society leaders and advocates, community leaders, attorneys, judges and magistrates, arbitrators, experts in UN conventions, properly debriefed senior military, para-military, security and intelligent personnel, peace activists.
All expertise must be pragmatic/practical , result-oriented people.
Mission:
Total eradication of all forms of corruption and heinous crimes within public institutions, including law enforcement in Nigeria, starting with Anambra State. Bringing to an end the occupation syndrome and mentality of the defense, security and intelligence agencies based in Eastern Nigeria, starting with Anambra State. Identifying core barriers facing public employees, including law enforcement and advocating adequate resolution of those.
Aims and Objectives:
Holding the agencies accountable to their constituted mission and mandate which include maintenance and provision of defense, security and intelligence designed to protect lives and properties in Nigeria, starting with Anambra State. Identifying core barriers facing public employees, including law enforcement and advocating adequate resolution of those.
Methodology:
Generating resources and coordinating universally established and acceptable civil and legal activities designed to hold the Nigerian and Anambra State’s systems and structures accountable and make them work the way they are universally supposed to, for the betterment of mankind.
Employing and utilizing universally established and acceptable best practices is pursuit of undertaken mission.
We may develop studies, researches, case studies and statistics to raise awareness on what these vices have done to undermine developments in Eastern Nigeria, starting with Anambra State; how these vices affected retarded development of businesses and economy of the state, retardation of cultural and social developments, tourism, and how they striped the men and women of the state of dignity, confidence, values, etc.
While some form of studies and research may be needed to get detail and enormity effect and impact of corruption of public officials on the life of the people, more energy will be expended on developing immediate ways to halt these problems.
Brief Summary of Need Assessment: The Problem with Anambra State, Nigeria
Anambra State is in a State of Siege by Some Known and Unknown Forces and Groups
Local and National Resource Available include:
Office of Inspector General of Police
Nigeria Police Services Commission
Independence Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC)
Code of Conduct Bureau
National and State Public Complaint Bureau
Nigeria Human Rights Commission
Anambra State Commissioner of Police
The Office of the President of Nigeria
The Courts
Non-governmental Organizations dealing on human rights
Etc, etc.
Meeting of CACHA: Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes (Nigeria)
Committee Against Corruption and Heinous Crimes plans to hold its first meeting very soon in New York City. Individuals living outside New York who will like participate could be linked via tele-conference.
Main Topic of Discussion:
1). General Overview of Suffocating Grip of Extortion of Law Enforcement Officers in Anambra State, Nigeria
2). Strategy for Liberation of Anambra State from Suffocating Grip of Extortion of Law Enforcement Officers
3). Individual Case Studies, Case Experiences and Case Models
4). Victims’ Empowerment: Local, National and International Resources to Address Suffocating Grip of Extortion of Law Enforcement Officers
Example of Real Case:
An Anambra-based land-fraud-syndicat e openly boasted of kidnapping potential and their connections with police committed all sorts of crimes with land belonging to a family at Nnobi, Anambra State Nigeria
The family reported the various specific elements of crimes committed by the syndicate to Anambra State Commissioner of Police. Case was assigned to State Criminal Investigation Division (SCID), supposed to be the elite investigative arm of Anambra State Police Command.
The same police went ahead to demand large sum of money and other items from the victims in order to properly investigate the case. Some of the money demanded were given but apparently not to the satisfaction of police.
When the demand became incessant, the victim decided to tape the officer.
The same police proceeded to COVER-UP the crimes committed by the syndicate despite the FACT that they collected some money from the family (victim) to facilitate their investigation.
Sufficiently empowered by the COVER-UP of the officers of Anambra State Police Command, the leaders of the Anambra-based land-fraud-syndicat e who was on police-bail went ahead to commit another crimes by contacting one of the victims in New York City, United States through telephone on September 1, 2009 and made a ransom demand for huge sum of money for what he called “peace” with his syndicate.
Police officer at State CID that granted-bail and investigating the original land-fraud-crimes of the syndicate was informed of the latest crimes of international extortion and threat to life and he refused to act.
Through assistance of SSS officers, the leader of the syndicate was arrested, not by State CID, but by local police unit located in the village.
Officers of Anambra State State Police Command orally informed the New York-based victim that his presence is needed in their office in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria so the suspects will be charged to court. Victim traveled from New York City to Awka and met the police officers in their offices.
But instead of charging the cases (2 cases: Cases number 1: crimes of impersonation, trespassing, disorderly conducts, money laundering, destruction of economic trees, aiding and abetting in committing of criminal acts, etc.; cases number 2: extortion and threat to life) the officers in Anambra State CID started demanding and extracting more money from the victim using all sorts of fear-mongering tactics.
Police officers admitted they demand more money from victims in Anambra than their counterparts in other states demand for about exactly similar cases, and added, Anambra people have money now and they pay ooooh!!!!!!.
Even after again extracting large sum of money from the victim, the officers of Anambra State CID did not properly investigate the case as promised.
Bombshell at Anambra State CID Case during All-important Meeting called by Police Boss
Lawyer (s) was/were observed conniving with police and flaunting NBA policy by going to police stations to obstruct police investigation of potential kidnapping cases.
“In one of the meetings ordered by head of Anambra State SCID, supposed to be elite division of Anambra State Police Command, attended by my relatives and witnesses, some leaders of the land-fraud-syndicat e (the culprits), the head of Anambra State SCID authoritatively dropped what I regarded as a bombshell, “I have many years experience in this sort of case and we have settled many cases like this one here in this office. Pay this ransom to avoid further extortion and threats. When this ransom is paid, threats will disappear. We have seen cases of threats like this rising and leading to people getting killed”, said the police chief.
“The victim insisted that Anambra Police Command should identify many elements of crimes committed by members of the land-fraud-syndicat e and charge the case to court and that drew some unhappy reactions from the police officers and the leader of the land-fraud-syndicat e.”
Note:
Above is real case scenario: real case study.
The victim is a veteran of US Army and New York City Government trained Child Abuse Investigative Caseworker, as well as, human right advocate.
Stay tuned ———— .
AIA NewsWatch