RULAAC Condemns Police Brutality as Enugu Musician Igbo Jah Killed by Police Inspector

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has condemned the killing of popular Enugu musician Okezie Nwamba, widely known as Igbo Jah, allegedly shot by a police inspector from the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Enugu State Police Command. The incident has reignited concerns over unchecked police brutality in Nigeria, with RULAAC asserting that it exemplifies a recurring pattern of abuse by law enforcement.

“This tragedy is not an isolated incident,” RULAAC stated in a release signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, titled “An Epidemic of Police Brutality in Nigeria: No Lessons Learned from #EndSARS.”

The group highlighted further disturbing reports from Akwa Ibom State, where two suspected kidnappers were allegedly extrajudicially killed by the police after substantial sums were withdrawn from their bank accounts. According to RULAAC, Akwa Ibom’s Commissioner of Police is reviewing a petition on the incident involving the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, SP Richard Oguntobi.

RULAAC criticized the lack of accountability within police ranks, especially for longstanding figures like SP Oguntobi, whose prolonged tenure echoes that of CSP James Nwafor, the former officer in charge of Awkuzu SARS in Anambra State, notorious for human rights abuses.

The advocacy group stressed the need for transparency, calling for the swift and fair trial of the officer involved in Igbo Jah’s murder. “We urge the Inspector-General of Police to release the findings of the delayed investigations into human rights abuses by the Anambra RRS to show that police brutality will no longer be tolerated or concealed,” RULAAC added, emphasizing that swift action is needed to curb impunity within the police force.