Family protests, demands Abel Ebilene’s release from detention

Almost 30 days after he was picked up kept in detention, the family of Mr. Abel Ebilene has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to release him without any further delays.

In a letter addressed to the Force Public Relations Officer, through Public Complaint Bureau, the family of Ebilene said he had been granted bail at the Mabushi Divisional Police Station, after signing up the bail bond.

The letter written by Deeds Chambers and signed by S.T. Ben-Iwo said Mr. Ebilene was immediately picked up by a team of officers from AIG Zone 7. He said since then, he has remained in detention without bail, following the inability of the family to provide the needed money.

Part of the petition read: “Truly, the Nigeria Police under the watch of the current dispensation is encouraging impunity of it officers, the complaint response units set up by previous dispensation to check such excesses and infamous actions of officers has been bastardised.

Days after report and consistent follow-up on the ordeal of our client, the office obviously can’t do anything about it, maybe because of the seemingly interest of high Police officers.

“It leaves us worried of the neutrality of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force in this matter. Does the office of the Inspector-General encourage such gross impunity by police officers? Are police officers not supposed to conduct themselves within the ambit of the law?

“Of what purpose is this public complaint response unit, when over 27 days of channelling our complaints via this medium it appears the office has done nothing while officers of the Nigeria Police Force continue to hold our client in detention without showing him any warrant or order granted to them to do so?

“Is it the practice that one station would act as if they are granting bail, whereas they had intimated another formation to come and re-arrest the same person on the same subject matter? Is this the way police officers operate?

“In all of this, these officers are bent on obtaining money in multiple millions before they would release him. Is this act lawful? Yet, this unit and the office of the Inspector-General of Police are silent on this issue.”