By ALBERT AKPOR
IT all started like the usual domestic dispute between father and son in a typical family setting. But it later assumed a frightening dimension so much so that, law enforcement agents were drafted into the picture.

Chief Orbed Igwe, the man who in 2004 exposed the inhumanity in the deadly Ogwugwu Okija shrines in Anambra state, woke up in the early hours of August 9, 2011 to behold his first son, Herod Igwe; a second year law student of North American University, Benin Republic, with some of his friends he (Orbed) had earlier warned his son against lurking around with in his compound.

As a disciplined father, he had gestured to his son and asked why he was in Nigeria when he was supposed to be in school. No cogent reason was offered.

A worried Igwe also questioned what his son whom he was spending so much to train in a foreign school was doing with questionable characters even after he had warned against the unholy association. Still, no reasonable answer was forthcoming. Soon, anger sets in and father and son were locked in a heated argument.

But before long, frayed nerves became calmed, the face-off was settled and both father and son left for their respective businesses outside the compound. Curiously, while the argument lasted, a surreptitious call from the wife of Chief Igwe had gone to the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Satellite Division, Agboju, Superintendent of Police, SP, Akinola Adamu.

And in a twinkle of an eye, he and a team of heavily armed policemen stormed the Chief’s 17, Iyabiye street, Satellite town home. The padlock to the outside giant gate was forcefully opened with gunshots and a dog in chains was also shot dead.

Upstairs, two entrance glass doors to the siting room were shattered with bullets, a double barrel gun, documents and other valuables were allegedly carted away by the DPO and his team. An embarrassed Orbed Igwe who later arrived his compound long after the police team had gone, was told that a team of policemen led by the DPO had visited and were shooting sporadically into the air on the ground that his wife had called to say that he had shot dead his son, Herod.

Shortly after wards, the DPO was said to have called Chief Igwe ordering him to appear at the station to answer questions on why he wanted to kill his son as well as how he came about a double- barrel pump action gun.

Men of the Nigerian Police

But while Chief Igwe was making arrangement to go to the station, another team of policemen also led by the DPO stormed his area and had him arrested, handcuffed and hauled into one of their patrol vans and dumped in the cell. He was denied access to his lawyers, family members, including his wife and children.

His GSM handsets were switched off. The second day in detention, he was also taken to his human rights foundation office on Abule-Osun and worship center nearby half naked and in handcuffs too; where a search for incriminating items was conducted.

On August 11, 2011 the DPO arraigned Chief Igwe at an Apapa Magistrate court on a two- count charge of attempted murder and illegal possession of fire arm. But the matter was not called; he was returned back to cell. The following day, August 16, 2011, he was re-arraigned on the same count charge.

And to ensure that chief Igwe was nailed, the DPO went ahead to write a personal letter to the Magistrate imploring her to commit Igwe to prison custody pending the recommendation of the Directorate of Public Prosecution.

The said personal letter dated August 15, 2011 and signed by SP Akinlo Adamu reads in part: “ Sir, the defendant Orbed Igwe was arrested on 13th day of August 2011 at about 0700hrs at 15, Iyabiye, Satellite town, Lagos for attempted murder of one Herod Or bed Igwe ‘m’ by shooting him with pump action gun.

Therefore, sir, I request that he should be remanded in prison custody pending when the DPP’s advice is received. But the Magistrate in her wisdom dismissed the matter having listened to the testimonies of Herod Igwe and his wife that the matter was a minor family dispute which ordinarily, the police was supposed to settle.

Freed, Chief Igwe who held a press conference to narrate his ordeal in the hands of the DPO, said he has petitioned the Senate, the IGP, the Police Service Commission, the Lagos state governor and many other relevant authorities maintaining that he was sure the DPO has a hidden agenda against him and his household.

He said, “I have invited you journalists here to be briefed on the gross abuse of office and violation of my fundamental rights by the DPO Satellite town Agboju, superintendent of police SP Akinola Adamu who out of total disrespect for the rule of law on August 8, 2011 at about 2.30pm broke into my house at No. 15, Alhaji Muriamo street, Satellite town along with over 20 armed policemen, on a trumped-up allegation of attempted murder of my own son, vandalized my property worth hundreds of thousands of naira, carted away cash and valuable documents.

On that said day, the DPO stormed my house, shooting sporadically into the air to scare away neighbors and immediately headed to my house.

From the look of things, the DPO apparently power drunk, shot open the lock to the front gate, gained access to the premises and promptly shot dead my dog that was in chains by the side of the gate. Still not satisfied, the DPO ordered his boys to break open all doors with sledge hammer while I was out.

Him and his rampaging boys went through all the rooms and at the end of the unprovoked exercise, went away with money, jewelries, current fire arm license, house, land and vehicle documents under the guise of looking for incriminating items.

Continuing, Chief Igwe said, “What I can deduce from the forgoing is that one of the the police officers had been making sexual advances at my wife, encouraging her to file a divorce against me and promising to marry her as soon as he could lay hands on any criminal charge against me and see me to the gallows.

Even my wife having come to her senses has confessed to me and pleaded for forgiveness and is willing to testify before any investigative panel on the relationship which hitherto existed between her and the officer.

The truth of the matter is that I had a minor domestic quarrel with my son, Herod, a second year law student outside the country and sensing danger, my wife sort the assistance of the officer to resolve the problem. The officer who saw it as an avenue to actualize his unguided ambition, joined his colleagues and raced to my house firing sporadically as they arrived my gate.

Sensing that I might take legal action against them, they maliciously misinformed the Commissioner of police, Lagos state, Mr. Alkali Yakubu, alleging that I had shot dead my son. It was under this guise that they took me to court. But the matter was dismissed as my supposed dead son and wife came to testify against their plea.”

Also the state governor, Babatunde Fashola, has directed the human rights desk of the police, Ikeja to fully investigate the allegation against the Policwe officers.

When contacted, the DPO who allegedly led his men to Chief Igwe’s house described him as ‘a drowning man needing cheap popularity;using the press.’ He said he was in Igwe compound responding to a distress call to save his son who was fatally shot in the legs by Igwe himself adding, “ The man is just looking for cheap popularity using you press men. His wife called me that her husband had shot dead his son and as a Police officer, I raced there with my men.

Immediately I got into the compound, he released his dog on us and I had to kill it. I also shot open the doors to liberate the boy who was dripping in blood from gunshot and took him to the hospital. And when I called him to come and settle the hospital bill, he refused. That was why I got him arrested. All I know is that I was only doing my job.”