The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has ordered for the immediate arrest and detention of the Officer-In-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Awkuzu, Anambra State, M. Okpe, over alleged case of torture and extortion of N6 million.
According to a source, the OC was picked up on Tuesday evening by a team of detectives attached to the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit.
It was gathered that Okpe and his men arrested an Onitsha, Anambra State-based trader on a matter yet unknown and allegedly tortured him.
He was alleged to have granted the trader bail after collecting N6 million.
A source said: “The OC was detained along with three of his men today and whisked off to Abuja.
“Nobody is sure how the IG got wind of the case leading to the arrest of the OC.
“But we are suspecting that perhaps the victim petitioned the IG.
“Anyway, things will get clearer tomorrow.”
Awkuzu SARS has been notorious for extrajudicial killing of suspects and torture for years.
Before Okpe took over the leadership of Awkuzu SARS, many rights fighters and Amnesty International had written tons of petitions drawing attention to the extrajudicial killings and torture of suspects.
When the then OC, James Nwafor, was transferred, there had been jubilation among right fighters.
There was hope that a new OC would sanitize the unit, but that hope had since died.
Okpe took over Awkuzu SARS in 2016.
