Imo police officers arrest lady, turn her to maid in custody- human rights group

A 21-year-old lady has allegedly been arrested and turned into domestic help by the police in Imo State.

A group, Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, alleged that officers of the Intelligence Response Team in Owerri, Imo State, arrested Glory Okolie on the day she sat for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam on June 17, and has detained her ever since.

The group in a statement its Director-General, Harrison Gwamnishu said Okolie’s family members had searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries but the search yielded no positive result.

Gwamnishu revealed that a young man who was released from IRT custody informed the lady’s family that he saw her at the office washing and cooking for the officers after which the family sought to bail her.

The family’s efforts to secure the lady’s freedom, however, proved abortive, according to Gwamnishu, who disclosed that his team’s investigation later showed that Okolie was taken to Abuja as a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network.

The group urged the IGP Complaint Response Unit Abuja and the new IRT head, DCP Tunji Disu, to launch an investigation into the issue and rescue the young lady.

The statement read, “21-year-old Miss Glory Okolie who enrolled for 2021 UTME has been in police detention since 17th June 2021 till date.

“She left the house and never returned. Since 17th June, her family had searched for her in hospitals and mortuaries but couldn’t find her.

“Towards the end of June 2021, a young man who was freed from the IRT office Tiger Base Owerri told the Okolie family that he saw Glory in the custody of IRT officers cooking and washing clothes for them.

”The family immediately went to IRT office and requested to see Glory and bail her out and till date, it’s been one story or the other.

“The IRT officers allegedly continued to extort the family and denied them access to see Glory. Our team launched an investigation and discovered Glory has been transferred to Abuja and tagged IPOB/ESN member.

“Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation wishes to draw the attention of IGP Complaint Response Unit Abuja and the new IRT head DCP Tunji Disu to rescue Glory who has now become a maid in Nigeria police custody.

“Attached are evidence of all the money extorted and paid into an account provided by the IRT officers by the family of Glory.”

Punch reports this morning that IGP has ordered an investigation into the case.