A pressure group, Igbo Ezuo, has urged the Federal and Imo State Governments to prevail on security agencies to respect human rights.
The group’s Public Relations Officer, Dr McAnthony Duru, in a statement on Saturday in Enugu, called on the government to caution security agencies against continued human rights abuses in Imo.
Duru said that the warning followed the alleged announcement by the Imo State Police Command to conduct a blanket clampdown on residents of the state.
Recall that the Imo Police Commissioner, Aboki Danjuma, recently vowed to launch his tactical team, Army and sister security forces throughout Imo and beyond to fish out perpetrators that attack Okigwe Correctional Facility in Imo on Feb. 12.
The group urged the security agencies especially the Nigeria Police to be professional, tactical and move with clear-cut intelligence in their quest to fish out the perpetrators.
“We are calling on the police not to maim or kill innocent citizens citing previous police interventions which often resulted in the loss of innocent lives both in the affected communities and beyond.
“We are calling on all security agencies in Imo to show some restraint, show respect for human rights and dignity while going after the perceived perpetrators and their sympathisers.
“The security agencies, especially the police, should be better equipped to be more proactive instead of reactionary in handling incidents such as this,” he said.
Duru noted that in the past there had been allegations of alleged human rights abuses leveled against the police in the state.
