BENIN CITY, NIGERIA – Ishaq Osagie-Eweka, a lecturer at the University of Benin, has dragged the Commissioner of Police, Adamu Dankwara, before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over his arrest and detention, which he described as unlawful and unconstitutional.
Professor Osagie-Eweka, a lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Benin, had earlier petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, through his lawyer B.A Iluobe, to investigate his alleged unlawful arrest and detention by the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Dankwara.
In a letter of acknowledgement marked C/2023/CPR/226/HQ, dated February 21, 2023, signed by Atedze Juliet Mimi for the executive secretary of the commission and made available to The Trent on Monday, April 10, 2023, it was stated that the commissioner of police had been contacted for his response.
The letter, titled “Re: The Unseeming Behaviour, abuse and Wrong use of Office by the CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara for Edo State Police Command and the unlawful and unconstitutional arrest of Ishaq S D. Osagie-Eweka Ph.D,” read in part:
“Please, l, refer to your petition dated January 23, 2023, to the National Human Rights Commission on the above subject. I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your complaint.
The complaint has been registered as C/2023/CPR/226/HQ. Please reference this complaint number in all correspondence with the commission.
The Commission wishes to also inform you that it has requested for the comments of the Commissioner of Police Edo State Command; the complaint was also forwarded to NHRC Edo State Office.”
As the case unfolds, it remains to be seen how the NHRC will address this situation, and what implications it may have on the relationship between the police and the public.
The letter titled “Re: The Unseeming Behaviour, abuse and Wrong use of Office by the CP Mohammed Adamu Dankwara for Edo State Police Command and the unlawful and unconstitutional arrest of Ishaq S D. Osagie-Eweka Ph.D”, read in Part.
“Please, l, refer to your petition dated January 23, 2023, to the National Human Rights Commission on the above subject.
“I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your complaint. The complainant has been registered as C/2023/CPR/226/HQ. Please reference this complainant number in all correspondence with the commission.
“The Commission wishes to also inform you that it has requested for the comments of the Commissioner of Police Edo State Command, the Complainant was also forwarded to NHRC Edo State Office”.
