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Some elders and journalists from Umuocha Avu community in Owerri Local Government Area of Imo State have sued one Christian Onyekachi, an engineer, and the Inspector General of Police over an alleged attempt to take over their land.
In a statement forwarded to CrimeFacts on Wednesday, they are asking a Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory FCT, to stop the duo from invading their land.
They alleged that Onyekachi and the Imo State Housing Corporation, a government agency, are forcefully trying to take over the land.
In a human rights enforcement suit filed by their lawyer, Chukwuma Ume, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the applicants claimed they were subjected to alleged acts of brutality, unlawful arrest, and detention by police officers from the Force Intelligence Department, Abuja.
They alleged that some police officers in Imo, were allegedly mobilized by Onyekachi to intimidate them.
The complaints are Godwin Oparamba, Chijioke Maduike, Reginald Mbajunwa, Franklin Mbajunwa, Ikechukwu Ubah, Davison Ubah, and Ifeanyi Ubah.
Listed as 1st to 5th respondents in the suit marked FCT/HC/CV/701/2026 are Inspector -General of Police, IGP, DSP Charles Peace, Engineer Christian Mike Onyekachi, Vertex Estate Nigeria Limited, and Imo Housing Corporation.
How journalists were arrested, harassed
The complaints claimed that on 13 January, policemen without name or tags, armed with AK-47 rifles, were brought by Onyekachi, unlawfully invaded their land at the Avu community.
The complaints said that when this was still happening on that day, a television station, the Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) in Owerri, on getting the information, asked one of its reporters, who is also an indigene of the community, to go with a cameraman and cover the incident.
“On getting to the place, while looking to interview Onyekachi, the policemen manhandled the journalist and the cameraman and whisked them away.
After allegedly destroying the phone of the journalist, the officers brought them back to the community and forcefully deleted all the videos recorded, and in the process, damaged the camera.
“On 3 February, the journalist was going to work around 7.30 a.m., few meters from his residence in the community, when another a group of policemen from Force Intelligence Department in Abuja led by Charles Peace, a deputy superintendent of police, arrested him again and the other applicants and took them to Imo State Police headquarters were they were detained in an inhuman condition.
“The next Morning around 5.30 am, they were whisked off to Abuja like slaves,” the statement added.
