The Rainbow
The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State chapter, Tony Nwizi, has been arrested by the police purportedly on the orders of the Inspector General of Police.
It wwas not clear as at the time of this report what was his offence. s
Spokesperson of the Ebonyi State Police Command, DSP Loveth Odah, said she could not precisely say the location the policemen came from.
Odah, however, noted that some policemen came into Ebonyi State on Friday from the Anti-Kidnaping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command, requesting for endorsement to enable them effect an arrest.
Odah further noted that it was not clear whether they came for Nwizi as visiting policemen do not disclose the identity of their target.
“I know some Policemen came into Ebonyi yesterday from Anti-Kidnaping Unit of Lagos State Police Command, she further explained.
“They wanted their papers to be signed, so that an arrest can be effected.
“We are still on the matter, in order to confirm if he was the one that they came for.
“The identity of who ever they came for is not usually disclosed.”
However, the Vice Chairman of NUJ in the state, Nworie Benjamin, has confirmed the arrest in a statement.
According to him, Nwizi was arrested at his house in Abakaliki, the state capital, by the Police IRT team from Énugu.
He said the arrest was “based on a petition by two members of the union”.
“Confirmed information indicates that IGP IRT team Enugu arrested Ebonyi State NUJ chairman, Tony Nwizi.
“We have established contact with him that his gestapo arrest was actually from men of the police force.
“Mr Nwizi is currently in Enugu with a team of IGP IRT over a petition written by the Ex- VP of NUJ, Zone C, Mr Petrus Obi and Chibota Edozie.”
The Rainbow learnt that the policemen who arrested the NUJ chairman first went to the area command in Abakaliki ostensibly to announce their arrival before moving to his house.
A source said at the police command, the operatives “refused to disclosed who they were”
They told the policemen on duty that they were in the state to effect an arrest after which they zoomed off in their unmarked white bus to Mr Nwizi’s residence.
But police spokesperson in the state, Loveth Odah, gave a conflicting statement. While she said she cannot precisely say where the policemen who arrested Mr Nwizi’s came from, she nonetheless linked them to the Lagos command.
“I know some policemen came into Ebonyi yesterday from anti-kidnapping (unit) of Lagos State Police Command. They wanted their papers to be signed, so that they can effect an arrest.
“We are still on the matter, in order to confirm if he was the one that they came for. The identity of whoever they came for is not usually disclosed.”
Mr Nwizi is a staffer of the state broadcast station, EBBC.
Force spokesman, Frank Mba, could not be reached for comments. He did not take calls sent to him at the time of filling this report.
