The Imo State Police Command has concluded arrangements to arraign five men accused of brutalising a woman, Mrs Ndudiamaka Agu, in the Emekuku community of Owerri North Local Council.
A viral video had shown the men violently assaulting Agu, including lifting and hurling her against a wall, sparking widespread public outrage.
The attackers reportedly stormed her marital home and assaulted her after suspecting that she had cooperated with police officers who visited the community for an investigation.
Confirming the development in a statement yesterday, the spokesperson for the command, DSP Henry Okoye, said one of the suspects had fled, adding that police operatives were on his trail.
He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, had assured the public that justice would be served.
“The Imo State Police Command wishes to provide an update on the investigation ordered by the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, into the viral video showing Mrs Agu Ndididamaka being assaulted in Emekuku, Owerri North Council.
In furtherance of the CP’s directive for swift action, operatives of the X-Squad Unit have arrested five suspects linked to the barbaric assault,” he said.
The suspects were identified as Onyekachi Njoku, 40; Chiazor Osuji, 45; Chukwuma Iwuala, 46; Eugene Njoku; and Njoku Emmanuel, 35, all of Uboegbelu in Emekuku, Owerri North Council.
Okoye added that the suspects had made confessional statements admitting their roles in the attack. He said the sixth suspect, Onyedikachi Njoku, remained at large, with efforts ongoing to apprehend him.
On preparations to take the suspects to court, he said: “The Commissioner of Police condemns the assault in its entirety and reaffirms that intimidation of citizens who lawfully cooperate with the Police will not be tolerated. The arrested suspects will be arraigned in court soonest with the appropriate criminal charges.”
Following the incident, several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had demanded the arrest, prosecution, and punishment of the perpetrators.
