…as claims, counterclaims, saturate media space over unlawful detention and illegal withdrawal from suspects account
Nkeiruka Nwode, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police at the Force Headquarters Annex in Lagos, has rejected allegations made by former presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, stressing that the claims had already been investigated and found to be untrue.
A few days ago, human rights activist Sowore wrote to the new Inspector General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, urging him to meet Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, popularly known as “Ruka”, PPRO Zone 13, Ukpo, for allegedly conniving with some judicial workers to imprison whistleblower Nnamdi Emeh after he exposed what he described as a police-linked organ-harvesting ring.
Drum Africa gathered that the genesis of the problem was how a huge amount of money found in the account of Chibuike Ekwueme, popularly known as “Temple”, among Biafra agitators but described as a gun runner and top member of IPOB/ESN got missing during the investigation; here Emeh reportedly handled the suspect’s mobile phones for forensic analysis.
According to Sowore, Nnamdi Emeh is rotting away in prison in Awka because certain bad eggs within the Nigeria Police Force, aided by the predecessor, Kayode Egbetokun, had their way, stressing that the injustice against Emeh must end.
He called on the IGP’s office to immediately discontinue what he termed ‘sham prosecution’ and instead investigate, arrest, and prosecute the once-powerful police officers and collaborators involved in this alleged crime, stressing that justice must prevail without delay.
According to Sowore, a leaked Nigeria Police Force report reveals 11 custody deaths in Awkuzu RRS between March and December 2022 under the watch of three persons he tagged as “notorious police officers”, CSP Patrick Agbazue, SP Nkeiruka Nwode, and Inspector Harrison Akama, as whistleblower Nnamdi Emeh remains detained despite bail.
According to him, “I have obtained an interim investigation report issued from the office of the Inspector-General of Police at the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja.”
“The document examined allegations arising from a social media campaign that accused officers of the Rapid Response Squad/Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Awkuzu, Anambra State, of serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings and organ harvesting.
“The report, signed by Idris Abdullahi Abubakar, was circulated internally to senior police leadership for action but was never made public, nor was action taken against the policemen.”
Sowore said the case is linked to Suit No. FHC/AWK/60C/2023 before the Federal High Court in Awka, and according to court records available to him, whistleblower Nnamdi Daniel Emeh was granted bail on May 17, 2023, by Justice F. O. Riman (now late).
He said that Emeh’s bail conditions were perfected in May 2024, and a release order was signed by Justice S. M. Shuaibu, but despite this, the police obtained an ex parte motion blocking his release, and he has remained in custody ever since.
He said that although the report appears to attempt to minimise the allegations against these officers, it nonetheless identifies serious misconduct and egregious acts involving three officers of the Awkuzu unit: CSP Patrick Agbazue, SP Nkeiruka Nwode (popularly known as “Ruka”), and Inspector Harrison Akama.
“The report acknowledges that at least eleven suspects died in police custody between the years, with the deaths classified as ‘sudden and unnatural’.” It also revealed that the Awkuzu unit failed to maintain mandatory police records, including cell registers, crime diaries, station diaries, and prisoner lock-up registers—failures that investigators said made accountability and oversight extremely difficult.”
He said that rather than focus on these findings, the investigation centred heavily on the role of Nnamdi Emeh, who had previously served as a corps member attached to the unit in an IT capacity.
He said that according to the report, Emeh allegedly had access to sensitive operational information and later used that access to launch a social media campaign accusing officers of grave crimes.
“Police traced the dispute to the arrest of a suspect identified as Chibuike Ekwueme, also known as ‘Temple’, described as a gun runner and suspected member of IPOB/ESN. During that investigation, Emeh reportedly handled the suspect’s mobile phones for forensic analysis.
“The report alleges that instead of conducting legitimate analysis, he hacked the device and arranged the transfer of ₦36 million from the suspect’s account to a bureau-de-change operator, allegedly retaining ₦4 million for himself before fleeing.”
He said that following the incident, police arrested several individuals linked to the transaction, including a bureau-de-change operator and a bank employee.
Sowore said the suspects were charged with conspiracy and murder and remanded at the Onitsha Correctional Centre, though their families later claimed they could not determine their whereabouts after the arrests.
He explained that Emeh subsequently began publishing allegations online accusing officers of the Awkuzu unit of extrajudicial killings and organ harvesting, of which “the posts circulated widely on social media platforms, including prompting eighteen complaints from members of the public alleging brutality and misconduct by officers of the unit.”
He said that while the report rejected the allegation of organ harvesting, it confirmed serious operational failures within the police unit, as investigators found repeated violations of policing procedures, disregard for human rights safeguards, and systemic failures in record-keeping.
“The report recommended that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police for Zone 13, Ukpo, and the Anambra State Police Command submit documentation relating to the eighteen complaints received against the officers. It also recommended reorganising the Awkuzu Rapid Response Squad to align with international policing standards and Nigeria’s criminal justice laws.
“Further recommendations included briefing the public on the investigation to calm tensions and defending civil suits filed by families of detainees who allegedly died in police custody. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the report recommended redeploying CSP Patrick Agbazue, SP Nkeiruka Nwode, and Inspector Harrison Akama from Zone 13 to Force Headquarters in Abuja.”
He said that the report concluded that the inspector-general of police had reviewed and upheld its recommendations.
Sowore added that, rather than leading to accountability for the officers implicated in the investigation, the whistleblower, Nnamdi Emeh, became the central target of prosecution.
“Despite being granted bail and fulfilling the court’s conditions, his release was halted by an ex parte order obtained by the police, and he has remained imprisoned since 2024 while the officers named in the report have continued their careers within the police force.”
Reacting to Sowore’s claims, Nwode, in her response titled “Nigerians, I Deserve Commendation and not Blackmail” My story:”
She explained she rarely responds to online commentary but decided to speak out because her name had repeatedly been associated with what she described as false claims.
She said the Nigeria Police Force had already examined the allegations in 2023 and found no evidence to support them. According to her, the NPF conducted a full investigation into the claims that circulated in 2023.
She said, “On 21st January 2023, one Barr. Nweke and one M/S Onyinye Ekwueme came to my office, and Barr. Nweke stated that his clients, one Chibuike Ekwueme and Tochukwu Ekwueme (brothers to the Onyinye Ekwueme), were arrested by JTF on 11th January 2023, and till today (21st January 2023), they do not know their whereabouts. He also stated that money was being taken from his client’s bank account to the sum of over 100 million by unauthorised persons.
“When the lawyer and the sister to Ekweme came to my office, I took them before the AIG, Abutu Yaro. AIG Abutu Yaro then called CP Echeng Echeng, the Compol of Anambra State, and asked if an individual, Chibuike Ekwueme, was in their custody. The CP then said, ‘Let him find out and call back.’
“The CP eventually called the AIG back and said, ‘Yes, that the person was in their custody. The AIG queried, ‘Are you aware that money is being taken from the suspect’s account and that the families are not even aware that they are in RRS custody?’
The then AIG then directed the Commissioner of Police (CP) to release OC RRS Awkuzu to come to him, the AIG, so that he would interview him. When the OC RRS Awkuzu arrived at the zone, he met with me first as the ZPRO, and then I took him to the AIG for the interview.
“At Zone, the OC RRS, CSP Patrick Agbazue, confirmed that suspects were with him and that he was aware money was withdrawn from the account and that it was stolen by the Youth Corps member serving in their office by the name of Mr Nnamdi Daniel Emeh, aka Nelson.
“I queried CSP Patrick Agbazue, who was in charge of RRS Awkuzu, about the whereabouts of the corper, Nnamdi Emeh. He said he was at large and nowhere to be found. The numbers were turned off except for his WhatsApp app. I dialled his number; it was switched off. I called him on WhatsApp; he didn’t pick.”
Nwode said that the lawyer provided all debit alerts from his client’s account, which he said were given to him by the account officer of the suspect, Chibuike Ekwueme.
According to Nwode, the lawyer said that they had gone to the military and the DSS in search of them but couldn’t find them. “The reason they were in Zone 13 was because the RRS Awkuzu refused them access.”
She said that her focus was on multiple options, including getting the main suspect, Nnamdi Emeh, whose whereabouts were unknown as at that time.
“As the then Zonal PRO of Zone 13, I was worried about the image of the force with the alleged moving of money from the suspect bank account. So, I was all out to make sure that those behind the act were tracked.”
She said that after two working days, he, Nnamdi Emeh, called her through WhatsApp and echoed, “Madam, good day.”
“I responded, ‘Nelson, where are you?’ He said he was somewhere. I asked him what happened to the suspect’s money. He said the money was with CSP Patrick. I asked him to come to the office and meet the AIG so that whatever it was could be sorted out. He said he couldn’t come to Awka because CSP Patrick would kill him.
‘In the presence of the PA, while the phone was on loudspeaker, I told him, “If Patrick kills you, his own life dey mountain ni?”‘ At that point, he started revealing all sorts of allegations against CSP Patrick and the office.
“I told him at that point that if he liked, he could blackmail CSP Patrick to heaven; that I did not care; and that the essence of my call was for him to appear in my office, as the Anambra Police Command name and the state were at the verge of caricature.”
She added that Barr Nweke and the lady, Onyinye Ekwueme (sister of the suspects), came to her office every day with some other women and also disturbed her with calls to find out if she already knew their brothers’ whereabouts.
“It was after 3 days precisely, on 25th January, that they were given access to their brothers. And on 27th January, bail was granted to Tochukwu Ekwueme, while his brother Chibuike, who was the main suspect as alleged, remained with the RRS.”
She explained that on 1st February, Nnamdi called her again and threatened that she should stay out of the matter, and she gave it back to him with a hard response.
According to her, she told him, ‘Come, I am warning you, when you call me, better have some courtesy.’ He then said, ‘Are you threatening me?’ and I told him the act he had exhibited was criminal and I condemned it entirely. ‘If you like, run from today till tomorrow; you must return the suspect’s money,’ Nwode concluded.
She said that with the receipts the lawyer provided, the command perused them and noticed a particular First Bank account of one Iloama Oliver Azubike where 46 million was lodged in sequence: 16 million, 20 million, 4,550,000, 4 million, etc.
“We investigated the account and realised it was domiciled in Onitsha. We arrested the man, and he happened to be the vice chairman, Bureau de Change, Main Market, Onitsha.
“He stated that certain DSS personnel by the name of Paul Okorie was the person who requested his account. He provided it, and when the money was transferred, he asked him to take the dollar equivalent to his in-law working with Sterling Bank, Port Harcourt Road, Onitsha, by the name Obiora Onyedika.
“Mr Oliver said he took the $56,000 to Obiora Onyedika. We arrested Obiora Onyedika in the bank. He said he collected the money for his in-law, the DSS personnel Mr Paul Okorie, and that he came to his house in Asaba the next day for the money.
“Obiora Onyedika was taken to the DC CID, Anambra Police Command, where he put up a call to his in-law, Mr Paul Okorie, who at that point didn’t know he was in police custody. He asked Paul for the source of the money ($56,000) he handed over to him, saying he received a suspicious call.
To the hearing of the DC, DC Azare Baba Usman (presently the commissioner of police, Akwa Ibom State Police Command), the IPO, CSP Patrick Agbazue, and I, the Zonal Police PRO, Paul said the owner of the money was the guy he came to his house with to collect the money and that he was actually just realising that the boy stole the money from a suspect’s account.
“Onyedika asked his in-law Paul why he should get him involved in such a mess. Paul replied that he didn’t know it was dirty money and that there was no way he could deliberately put him into such a mess.”
She said that whatever happened between the IPO, the State Command, and Onyedika in subsequent calls to lure the DSS guy, she didn’t know about.
“The IPO, as I eventually heard, got a court order to the various banks where Mr Paul Okorie banks, and a Post No Debit (PND) was placed on his account.
“At the point where I heard Mr Paul saying it was he and the corper who went to the banker’s house to pick up the money, the OC RRS, CSP Patrick Agbazue, then said he knows Paul, that he is the closest person to the corper, and that he called him the moment he noticed the corper, Nnamdi Emeh, stole the money, and Paul promised to get back to him.
“He eventually called him and told him that he had asked Nnamdi Emeh and that he said there was nothing like that. Recall that at this point, the Youth Corps boy, Nnamdi Emeh, was still on the run and can only be reached on WhatsApp.”
She said that she had never worked under RRS but was striving to recover the suspect’s money removed from his account allegedly by Nnamdi Emeh; the next thing she saw was a sponsored media attack and blackmail against her in an attempt to force her to abandon the case.
“Why? For trying to be a professional. For doing a good job! Worst? Many persons believed their story because “police should always be at fault. I was not stopped by such attempts to paint my image black by Nnamdi Emeh and his gang.
“To the glory of God, I personally traced Nnamdi Emeh to the Benin Republic, arrested him, and brought him down to Nigeria to face his crime.
What did I gain for such professional conduct? ‘Continuous blackmail’, she lamented.
Nwode added, “if I had collected money from Nnamdi Emeh and refused to push the matter to the point of arresting all those connected to removing money from the account of the suspect, nobody would be blackmailing me today.”
She called on Nigerians to learn how to appreciate those who decide to uphold professionalism for the interest of the country.
“I deserve a medal and not blackmail! A society that values justice, professionalism, and fairness must also value the contributions of women who serve within its institutions.”
