By Onuora Aninwobodo
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has called for urgent reforms of Enugu’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, following allegations of abduction, illegal detention, and fabricated charges against Alfred Friday.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, RULAAC Executive Director Okechukwu Nwanguma said, “One of the most insidious tactics in Nigeria’s law enforcement is the use of framed or trumped-up charges.
This practice is not about justice but about intimidation, extortion, and control.”
Mr. Friday was arrested at his Lagos home on June 26 by operatives of the Enugu Anti-Kidnapping Unit and secretly transported to Enugu.
His family spent days searching for him as police initially denied his detention. “Police denied his family and legal counsel access and threatened them while falsely branding him an IPOB member,” RULAAC said.
He was held incommunicado for over a month before being arraigned on fabricated charges.
RULAAC described the case as emblematic of systemic failure, highlighting similar incidents across the South-East, including cases of abduction, unlawful detention, and collusion with court officials.
The group is demanding immediate investigation, suspension, and prosecution of officers involved, restitution and compensation for Mr. Friday, overhaul of Anti-Kidnapping Units under civilian oversight, and enforcement of court orders in similar cases.
Nwanguma warned, “Until law enforcement returns to its constitutional role of protection rather than predation, no Nigerian is truly safe. Cases like Mr. Friday’s are a stark reminder that our policing system is at war with its own people.”
