By Sodeeq Atanda
A father of two from Ebonyi State, Isaiah Chukwueme, was said to have been extrajudicially killed by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command, otherwise known as Tiger Base, after his arrest 27 months ago, according to those familiar with the case.
Arrested on September 23, 2023, Chukwuema was kept incommunicado in a cell at the facility in Owerri, prevented from speaking with his wife, two kids, and relatives. The police unit alleged that he was an armed robber and kidnapper, dispossessing people of their vehicles and other valuables. Abel, the suspect’s brother, told FIJ that the officers in charge of the case demanded N15 million for his release.
Despite the allegations and the unit’s confident assertion that the suspect was involved in various crimes, they failed to produce him in court for a lawful prosecution. Instead, he was kept in ‘Cell One’, which FIJ learnt is meant for suspects whose fate is death.
Abel, the suspect’s brother, told FIJ about the failure of the family’s efforts to secure his release or get the police to legally prosecute him.
“Even after involving Aboki Danjuma, the Imo police commissioner then; and the assistant inspector general of police at Zone 9 in Umuahia, the unit declined to obey the directives to arraign my brother,” Abel told FIJ on Wednesday.
FIJ earlier reported how Abel was detained at the facility for one month and six days after visiting his brother. Chidi Igwe, an inspector, was the investigating police officer (IPO) over Abel’s case. A petition by Abel spurred Danjuma to invite him and the IPO into his office.
“Danjuma asked Igwe why I was detained, he said it was for investigation and that they had released me because they could not establish any case against me,” Abel said. “The commissioner then directed Igwe to charge my brother to court. But this did not happen. My brother remained in the cell.”
According to the source, Isaiah was a car dealer. The police retrieved a vehicle they claimed belonged to a man who was robbed and murdered. But Isaiah told the police that the car was sold to him by a customer.
Isaiah Chukwuema with his wife on the left and two kids on his lap. The police decided to use the suspect as bait to arrest the said seller, so they asked him to call the seller for another business.
“But the seller overheard their conversation in the background, got a hint of why my brother was calling, and he escaped,” said Abel.
“My brother told the police he did not know the seller’s home address, as their relationship was strictly business. On the day I was released, I bought garri, bread, water, and other items for him and others in their cell. Until this point, I did not know the exact cell he was in.
“I just bought the groceries and told the policeman on duty who I wanted to give them to, and he asked me to write down his name. When he said the name, he said Eeyah, and you don’t know your brother is in this cell.”
He added that the police rebuffed the family lawyers’ enquiries about Isaiah’s presence at the facility until he paid N600,000 in cash.
“Even when lawyers were going there, they denied he was in their cell. Moreover, his name was not on the suspect board. They put him in ‘Cell One’, also called ‘Commander Cell’. Anyone inside it is not meant to live. If they put you in that place, you already know you are gone.
“The money made the officers allow people access to my brother. Considering their modus operandi, I doubt they are normal police officers because they take the law into their own hands.”
Isaiah’s Death
Earlier this year, David Erinma, a lawyer, was at the station to press for the arraignment of Isaiah, but he received a shocking announcement from Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, head of the station, known as ‘Commander Ola’.
“I don’t want to talk about it because I am highly disappointed in the police. It was an unfortunate incident when they said the guy was late. Where is his body?” Erinma told FIJ on Wednesday.
“Ola said it in the presence of Abel and Isaiah’s wife. Ola told us that we should not come to the station again. This is not a hearsay. I was there as their lawyer. Isaiah spent more than two years in detention. A lot of things are happening in that place.
“The CP even ordered the commander to charge the matter to court, but he did not. My position as a lawyer was that they should take him to court with their evidence.”
Abel also corroborated the lawyer’s statement, adding that “they said my brother was sick and could not make it. Was the family informed of my brother’s so-called sickness? Was the family informed of his death? And where was his body?”
Another lawyer who was also detained by Tiger Base in 2024 told FIJ he saw Isaiah in detention.
“I met Isaiah in the cell last year when I was in detention. When Abel went to check on him at Tiger Base and seek his bail, the police bundled him inside the cell, and he spent over 1 month in detention before they released him after extorting huge amounts of money from him,” said the lawyer, who later challenged his own detention at the station in court and won.
‘I Can’t Tell About His Whereabouts’
Speaking on the phone on Thursday, Igwe, the officer responsible for the two brothers’ detention, said he could not tell FIJ where Isaiah was.
“There was a suspected murder incident in Imo State on August 16, 2023. The victims were one Akachukwu and Chubuike, who have not been seen since then, but his vehicle was found with Isaiah in Edo State,” said Igwe.
“Before his arrest, he conspired with some people, attacked and killed one man. An autopsy was conducted. I have videos about all his criminal activities. Through tactical intelligence and the link we have with the Ebonyi State Police Command, CSP Bruno arrested Isaiah with the vehicle in Ebonyi.
“When the Ebonyi command could not get enough facts, they granted Isaiah bail, and Abel stood surety for him. When we requested a transfer of Isaiah to us, they said they had released him.
“While they were making efforts to re-arrest him, he ran away, knowing what he did. They arrested Abel and handed him over to us. Four days after or thereabouts, we arrested Isaiah and released Abel. Isaiah confessed to the crimes in the presence of Abel, his wife, and his lawyer. I don’t want to talk much about this matter. The police authorities are going to react.”
When asked whether the suspect was prosecuted, Igwe said he did not want to tell FIJ “anything about it. As I told you, if you want video evidence, I will show you the details,” he said.
