An Onitsha businessman, Mr. Michael Ugwa has sent ‘Save Our Soul ‘ (SOS) message to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police (CP), asking him to intervene in the threat to his life by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Central Police Station (CPS), Onitsha, Mr. Ifeanyi Iburu.
In the petition by Ugwa’s lawyer, Madukaego Uzoigwe, dated August 5, 2021, but submitted and received by the office of the commissioner on August 6, 2021. Ugwa alleged that the DPO has not only threatened his life but has taken steps to that effect by despatching armed and plain cloth Policemen to his shop at Old Motor Spare Parts, Nkpor, a suburb of Onitsha on different occasions.
The lawyer in the petition also alleged that there was “serious threat of arrest and detention or kidnap of Mr. Michael Ugwa by Mr. Iburu, the DPO, CPS, Onitsha”.
He said in the petition which was copied to the the Police Service Commission (PSC), Inspector-General of Police (IG), the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), zone 13, that the DPO had trailed his client , Mr. Ugwa with armed plain cloth Policemen and threatened to deal ruthlessly with him.
The problem, said the legal practitioner, started when the DPO on June 18, 2021 approached his client, Mr Ugwa to purchase his 1513 tipper truck through Ugwa’s mechanic, one Chizoba who has a mechanic workshop beside Old Mercedes Spare Parts in Nkpor, where the vehicle was on display for sale.
After negotiation , said the legal practitioner, the parties agreed at the price of six million, six hundred and fifty thousand naira (N6, 650,000) but not without disagreement which made the DPO to warn his client to be aware that he is the DPO of CPS, Onitsha.
Uzoigwe said that Iburu paid N6.6million in three instalments, but remaining fifty thousand naira. For this, Ugwa refused to release the truck .
He however allowed Mr. Iburu to commence the plate numbering even before concluding the payment, but curiously, while driving one day, he saw the DPO’s truck driver with the vehicle on the road, but claimed that he was testing it. Ugwa however, told him to return the vehicle since they have not fully paid.
At this juncture, Iburu called Ugwa on the request to take the vehicle on the promise that he would pay the balance in the next two weeks, which said Ugwa rejected.
This, said the lawyer, irritated the DPO who allegedly boasted and threatened to deal with Ugwa. In the process, Ugwa pleaded with the DPO to send his account number so that he would return his initial deposits because he does not want problem with anybody.
The DPO again, said the lawyer threatened his client, then came at about 8pm with the mechanic and called his client to come and collect his remaining money but his client told them it was too late for him to come out.
After much pressure from the DPO, he went and was shocked when the DPO besieged him with armed Policemen to carry the truck by force, without completing the balance.
Shocked, Ugwa raised the alarm that attracted people who in the course of settling the disagreement prevailed on him to allow the DPO take away the truck.
Painfully, when Ugwa allowed the DPO to take the truck, people persuaded him to pray and bless the vehicle, which he reluctantly did and left, while the DPO with his armed men drove away the truck.
After this incident, said the lawyer, an insurance lady went to Ugwa’s shop on June 21, 2021, with purchase receipted agreement of the sum of Eight million naira (N8m) for him to sign but he refused. This elicited another round of threat from the DPO. He later signed the purchase agreement of the exact amount.
However, on July 30, 2021, the chairman of Old Spare Parts, Nkpor, Mr. Chukwujekwu Elobi, invited Ugwa to his office, where he met the DPO. The chairman told him that the DPO said the truck was not good.
The chairman then pleaded with Ugwa to assist the DPO in fixing the truck in the interest of peace. Ugwa agreed and they left the office happily.
On Monday, August 2, 2021, said Barr Uzoigwe, the chairman called Ugwa again and told him that the DPO want to return the vehicle, so that he would replace the engine with Belgium one because according to the chairman Ugwa had invoked juju on the truck because he (DPO) did not fully pay for the truck.
The lawyer said his client denied doing such a thing and swore that he can never do such a thing as a Christian.
“The next day, your DPO, Mr. Iburu Ifeanyichukwu trailed Mr. Ugwa Michael with his armed plain clothed policemen and threatened that he has men that will ruthlessly close him down and finish him up”. Uzoigwe alleged.
Uzoigwe again said that the DPO wanted to buy another truck from his client who refused to sell, stating that in the process of these threats, the truck DPO wanted to buy was reported stolen in the conductor’s house where it was parked in Asaba, Delta State. The conductor is of the same state of origin with the DPO.
” The DPO has continued to threaten our Mr. Ugwa Michael including this morning which he threatened that he will kill our Ugwa Michael and dispose his body into a river for fishes to feed on.
“Sir, it is on the above backdrop that our clients, who is presently psycholocally and phyically traumatised has requested us to write this petition and we hereby entreat you to sagaciously call him to order” said the legal practitioner.
Uzoigwe also appealed to the Commissioner of Police as a vanguard of the defence of human rights to cause DPO, Mr. Iburu to enter into undertaken that nothing will happen to his client’s life before it becomes too late.
