The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is issuing a grave and urgent alert over what appears to be a deeply troubling abuse of police authority allegedly carried out in Imo State under circumstances that raise serious questions about legality, professionalism, and human rights compliance within the Nigeria Police Force.
HURIWA is in possession of a formal petition submitted to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 9 Headquarters, Umuahia, by Jesmond Okonkwo Esq., Solicitors & Legal Consultants, Owerri, detailing a volatile family dispute surrounding the death of Mr. Vitus Ugbaja, who reportedly died in July 2025 in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
According to the petition, tensions erupted between members of the deceased’s family and his widow, Mrs. Chibuzor Ugbaja, over burial arrangements scheduled for 21st and 22nd March 2026, as well as alleged disputes over properties of the late husband.
While the petition details allegations of threats and counter-accusations between parties, HURIWA is particularly alarmed by what transpired in the early hours of today.
Alleged Midnight Invasion Sparks Outrage
HURIWA finds deeply disturbing the allegation that at about 3:00am, the widow allegedly arrived with a heavily armed contingent of police officers reportedly drawn from the CID unit in Owerri and proceeded to storm the residence of the deceased’s family.
The petition further alleges that the officers whisked away the brothers of the late Mr. Ugbaja in what has been described as a “brutal, Gestapo-style operation” allegedly aimed at obstructing burial arrangements and intimidating the grieving family.
This alleged action becomes even more alarming given reports that the Assistant Inspector General of Police overseeing Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi States was already seized of the matter prior to the controversial raid—raising questions about command structure, legality of deployment, and possible abuse of authority.
HURIWA: “This is a dangerous descent into lawlessness”
HURIWA strongly condemns what it describes—if confirmed—as a reckless descent into institutional abuse, where police operatives are allegedly deployed in the dead of night to intervene in a civil family dispute involving burial rites and inheritance tensions.
Such conduct, if true, represents a dangerous erosion of police neutrality and a blatant affront to constitutional safeguards against arbitrary arrest, intimidation, and abuse of state power.
The association warns that Nigeria cannot afford a policing culture where grief-stricken families are subjected to armed midnight invasions, allegedly coordinated under questionable circumstances and outside due process.
Demands to the Inspector General of Police
HURIWA is therefore demanding urgent and decisive action from the Inspector General of Police to:
Immediately launch a high-level investigation into the alleged midnight operation in Imo State.
Identify all officers involved in the operation and determine whether due authorization was obtained.
Sanction any personnel found guilty of acting outside lawful orders or engaging in professional misconduct.
Secure the immediate and unconditional release of the detained siblings of the deceased if they are being held unlawfully.
Reaffirm internal disciplinary controls within the Imo State Police Command to prevent further erosion of public trust.
HURIWA further calls on the Imo State Commissioner of Police to publicly account for this alleged operation and take responsibility for any breakdown in command discipline within the state command.
Final Warning
HURIWA warns that the repeated allegations of heavy-handed policing, arbitrary arrests, and operational indiscipline emerging from parts of the country—if left unchecked—risk turning law enforcement into instruments of fear rather than justice.
The Nigeria Police Force must not be reduced to a tool allegedly deployed in family disputes under the cover of darkness. The rule of law must not be replaced with the rule of force.
The Inspector General of Police is urged to act swiftly, transparently, and decisively before this matter escalates into a national embarrassment.
Signed:
Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko
National Coordinator
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)
22nd April, 2026
