Family, RULAAC demand probe of policemen over alleged abduction, extortion

The family of Mr. Eme Friday, with the backing of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has demanded urgent investigation, suspension, and prosecution of operatives of the Enugu State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit over allegations of abduction, secret detention, and extortion under the guise of terrorism charges.

At a press conference convened by RULAAC in Lagos yesterday, Friday’s younger brother, Sunday Eme, narrated the family’s ordeal, describing his brother’s arrest as nothing short of an abduction.

“They stormed his home in Lagos on June 26, 2025, without a warrant. They told his wife he was being taken to Enugu, but the next morning, we discovered he was in Apapa. She only saw him in handcuffs before he was whisked away,” he said.

Sunday alleged that operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad turned the case into a money-making venture. According to him, “We were asked to bring ¦ 6,000 just so toiletries could reach him in custody. Later, they demanded ¦ 250,000 for his release. Out of fear for his life, we paid, hoping they would let him go. But they still kept him locked up. It felt less like justice and more like ransom.”

He further stated that on August 4, 2025, Friday was arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Enugu on charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, including financing terrorism and belonging to proscribed groups. “My brother denied the allegations, insisting that the so-called confession had been coerced and scripted by operatives,” he said.

RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, accused the police of retaliation and intimidation. He said:“Instead of following due process, they threatened his wife to keep quiet or risk her husband being charged. His lawyer was obstructed and accused of reporting back to RULAAC. Mr. Friday was eventually slammed with bogus charges, falsely labelled as IPOB.”

and linked to fabricated offences, all in a bid to cover up extortion.”

Nwanguma stressed that Friday’s case was not an isolated one but part of a disturbing pattern of abuse.

“From Jude Anokwu, abducted over a land dispute and falsely branded IPOB, to Gloria Okolie enslaved by IRT despite court orders, and Thaddeus Ojokoh, nearly executed at Tiger Base while in custody—the pattern is grimly familiar. These units operate like predator gangs, abducting citizens for ransom under the cover of law,” he said.