A social critic, Justice Ozobi, has been arrested by the police in connection with allegations that the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police collected N4.2 million from families seeking the release of their detained relatives.
The Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed Ozobi’s arrest on Friday through its spokesperson, Joshua Ukandu.
Ozobi, who resides in Anambra State, had made the allegation in a Facebook post published on August 31.
In the post, he alleged that six families were each made to pay N700,000 to secure the release of their sons, bringing the total amount allegedly collected to N4.2 million.
He claimed the men were detained following a land dispute involving some villagers and Sunday Oketa, the traditional ruler of Oroko Onuoha Community in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
According to Ozobi, the families initially secured the release of the suspects after making the alleged payments through officers of the State Criminal Investigation Department.
He further claimed that the men were subsequently arrested again and taken to court.
However, the police command had earlier rejected the allegations against the commissioner.
Ukandu said Ozobi was arrested in Anambra State and transferred to Ebonyi State, where he is expected to face investigation over the claims.
Police Raise Concern Over Former Commissioner’s Photograph
The police spokesperson also accused Ozobi of using the photograph of a former Ebonyi Commissioner of Police in one of his social media posts while making the allegations.
Ukandu said the use of the image exposed the retired senior police officer to what he described as “unwarranted public ridicule and embarrassment.”
Ozobi subsequently acknowledged that using the former commissioner’s photograph was inappropriate and said he had removed it from the post.
Despite withdrawing the image, however, he reportedly maintained his allegation that money was collected by the police in connection with the release of the detained suspects.
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The police said its action against the social critic was not intended to prevent citizens from expressing their views or raising complaints.
Ukandu stressed that while the command respected freedom of expression, it would not accept what he described as the deliberate spread of false, malicious or defamatory claims capable of damaging the reputation of the police.
He therefore advised members of the public to verify information before publishing or sharing it online.
The command also urged anyone with genuine complaints against police officers or the institution to use established channels so that such allegations could be properly investigated.