The Anambra State Police Command has refuted claims that it detained and cruelly treated a man named Chibuike Okafor until he died in Awka earlier this week.
On social media, there had been circulating claims that agents working for the Awka police department’s “B” Division tortured Okafor, also known as Jokef, to death and then falsely accused him of being an armed robber over a “undisclosed” matter.
But, the command refuted the claims in a news release issued on Sunday by its spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, claiming that he had been saved by the police from a mob onslaught.
Ikenga stated that the suspect had already been tormented by the mob before being rescued by police officers and that soon after his rescue, he passed out and was taken to the hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead.
The statement read, “The attention of Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to trending news on social media platforms alleging officers serving in the ‘B’ Divisional Headquarters, tortured a man to death and labelled him an armed robber over an undisclosed issue.
“The Command went into investigations on these allegations and discovered that is not true, but malicious, a product of fiction.
“To set the records straight, on 28/3/2023 by 10:35 pm, Police operatives responded to a distress call along Secretariat Road, Awka rescued a suspect from an angry mob and recovered a locally made gun with one expanded cartridge allegedly used in robbing his victims.
“The suspect was later identified as Mr Chibuike Christian Okafor popularly known as Jokef, collapsed after being rescued by the police, was immediately rushed to the hospital and was later confirmed dead by a medical doctor.
“Meanwhile, the investigation is still ongoing as the Command is still studying the video footage of the mob action to identify the persons behind this act.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, has reiterated the campaign against mob action and encouraged the public to take suspects to police stations whenever they are apprehended, this will help the Police to conduct proper investigations into the activities of the suspects and bring them to justice under extant laws.
“Henceforth, the Command shall invoke relevant sections of the cybercrime act against any happy trigger writer/social media influencer whose aim is to publish falsehood and cause disharmony in the state.”
