Police Inspector, son tried to kidnap me- Imo traditional ruler

The Imo monarch demanded an apology from the police, the cleansing of his land, and N100 million compensation.

The traditional ruler of Ulakwo in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, Nnanna Oparaocha-Ekwe, has accused a policeman of complicity in a failed attempt to kidnap him.

Mr. Oparaocha-Ekwe alleged in a petition to the Police Commissioner in Imo, Adisa Bolanta, that one Charles Uruakpa, an inspector, and his 17-year-old son, Promise, were involved in the kidnap attempt.

In the petition through his lawyer, Noel Agwuocha, the monarch alleged that a man from Abia who posed as a soldier from Sokoto was the point man.

The petition alleged that the inspector’s son accompanied the fake soldier, who gave his name as Garuba, to his palace to abduct him last December.

“The ‘soldier’ had come with a young boy who functioned as his guide; the so-called small boy happens to be the son of a policeman who lives in Ulakwo,” the traditional ruler said in the petition.

Mr. Oparaocha-Ekwe said that Garuba, supposedly deployed to Ulakwo from the 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, could not speak Hausa when somebody in the palace engaged him in the language.

“The bubble burst when the so-called soldier started to panic and mentioning names and stating his real mission which was to kidnap the Eze.

“Soon, a crowd gathered and he began to mention ‘mopol’ and DPO as persons who knew about his mission.

“In the process, the small boy’s father, a serving policeman, was mentioned as the DPO of Central Police Station, Owerri,” Mr. Oparaocha-Ekwe said.

The monarch demanded an apology from the police, cleansing of the land and N100 million as compensation.

Reacting to the petition, the police inspector said he had never met the accused before he was caught.

Mr. Uruakpa said on Friday that he only met the fake soldier when he was introduced by a neighbour as having been deployed to the area.

He claimed that the soldier relaxed in his house and later requested that his son accompanied him to visit a barber’s shop.

“My son left the house wearing only his shorts and a singlet and didn’t have any type of weapon with him; he only took his mobile phone with him,” he said.

Mr. Uruakpa said that after a while, he got a call from the traditional ruler who used his son’s mobile phone, and on getting to the palace, a crowd descended on him immediately.

“What saved me was the sound of siren as the Agbala DPO approached the compound.

“I regained consciousness after two days in a cell at the military base in Obinze and was eventually released 11 days after,” he said.

The Public Relations Officer of the Imo Police Command, Vitalis Onugu, said the State’s Criminal Investigations Department is still investigating the matter.

(NAN)