The Chairman of Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Dr. Eni Uduma Chima, has cautioned the State Police Command to desist from being used as instruments of threat by politicians against opponents.
The Council boss, who on Friday alleged that he was under threat by a political opponent in his area, condemned the invasion of his residence on Watchman Street, Abakaliki by a team of policemen to arrest him over what he described as trumped up allegation.
Chima who was, however, later released by the police after interrogation, told journalists at the police headquarters in Abakaliki that he has been receiving series of threats, which culminated into his arrest for not supporting a prominent politician in his area gunning for
governorship position in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
He further lamented that the said aspirant has hired some foreign tugs to intimidate political opponents and cause trouble in his Local Government Area, allegedly being backed with what they described as “federal might”.
Chima narrated: “I want to call on the police to be careful the way people use them.
“They get their legitimacy when they do what is right and decent, but if they keep being tools in the hands of politicians, they will get to a time people will not have regard for them and resist them.
“This morning, I was in my apartment in Watchman Street when my house was invaded by police, in their tens, and they said they were looking for me and got into my house.
“They made demands that I should accompany them to headquarters and that I was under arrest.
“I drove in my vehicle but they said before that could happen, they must put people in my vehicle.
“So, I drove in company of two policemen to police headquarters.
“At the police headquarters junction, they blocked routes, thinking I may escape into Government House, Abakaliki, but that was not necessary because I was driving into the police headquarters with two of their people inside my vehicle.
“After the invasion, I got to see somebody that I have never seen before.
“They called him Oyi oku.
“He was procured to come after me and cause trouble in my local government.
“He was boasting to me that since I don’t want to support Senator Soni Ogbuoji, that he will make sure he terminates my political carrier and that he will use federal might against me.
“He was even threatening policemen handling my case to the extent that we were doubting if he is mentally stable.
“So, there have been several threats against me.
“They want to intimidate me and my people to make sure that we cannot come out, but I cannot be intimidated.
“They talked about posters and I said if people are Peoples Democratic Party supporters and they said you shouldn’t paste posters on their houses, it is correct because it is their property and they have the right over their property.
“All Progressives Congress can paste on their buildings but you cannot be APC and you go and paste posters on property belonging to PDP people.
“I gave specific instructions that posters should not be posted on my streetlights poles.
“I am the council chairman and I installed those streetlights and I maintain them.
“It is my local might.”