Several Nigerian media outlets are reporting the arrest of Emeh Nnamdi, a whistleblower who reportedly exposed the activities of a police squad in Anambra state allegedly involved in human rights violations. 26- year old Emeh Nnamdi was reportedly arrested during a joint operation by INTERPOL operatives of Benin Republic and Nigeria on Friday, March 3, 2023. According to the report, the suspect is currently in police custody in Abuja.
Emeh Nnamdi, currently on his mandatory National Youth Service Corp(NYSC) was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force on 20 February 2023 for unlawful possession of firearm, money laundering, defamation of character, fraud, and impersonation.
He was also accused of being behind the Gistlover, an anonymous blogger known for investigating and exposing illicit activities in Nigerian society, which first reported the story about the police squad.
According to Gistlover, several top police officers led by Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Agbazue, the officer in charge of State Criminal and Investigation and the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department Awkuzu in Anambra State were involved in extortion, extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearance, and organ harvesting of detainees in their custody.
After the Gislover exposure, the Nigerian Police Force announced that it will launch a full-scale investigation into the allegations.
The Anambra state governor, Chukwuma Soludo also on 19 February 2022 pledged to ensure that the officers accused of involvement in illegal arrests and extra-judicial killings in the state face the full wrath of the law if found guilty, assuring the residents of the state that his administration was “closely monitoring the situation” and would ensure that justice was done.
