Hon. Ike Ibe: Attempt To Frame Me Up For Kidnapping
Rt. Hon Ike C. Ibe Esq
68 Okigwe Road, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
0803...
[email protected]
September 18, 2010
The Inspector General of Police
Force Headquarters
Abuja, Nigeria
ATTEMPT TO FRAME ME UP FOR KIDNAPPING
In the recent months, I have become a victim of several acts of threats, intimidation, harassment, attempted assassination etc from both government agents and political contemporaries in Imo State. These acts are not unconnected with my continued frontrunner status in the multi-way governorship race in Imo State. In July 2009, while hosting a political meeting in my country home at Obowo, I and my guests were attacked by a group of thugs loyal to the governor of Imo State led by one Dr Anosike one of the campaign cordinators of Governor Ohakim's New Face Organisation. Only recently on April 1st 2010, my business premises and campaign headquarters in Owerri was invaded by armed police men and government vigilante people numbering over one hundred and fifty men in a commando style operation to assassinate me. They destroyed my office and printing plant and abducted seven members of my staff first to the government house Owerri and latter to the state police headquarters Owerri where they detained them for one week and slammed spurious charges on them. Following this, I petitioned the several Nigerian security agencies including the police, SSS, etc and unfortunately, up till now, no investigation has been conducted by these agencies. When I confronted the immediate past IG of police about the raid of my office, he justified the actions of his men and officers in Imo police command. Again on May 29 this year following my above petition, I received a threat phone call from a traditional ruler (Eze Ilomuanya) in Imo state closely associated with the state government. In spite of my detailed petition and interview with the security agencies thereof, no arrest has been made. It is on record that over the last two years, I have vigorously spoken out and written about the corruption in government and the attendant hardship on the people and as a consequence, I have been subjected to all kinds of attack by the Imo state government, its officials, and surrogates.
In the last 24 hours, September 17th, my family and domestic staff in Abuja are being bombarded by people who I found out to be police officers from SARS in Asokoro Abuja demanding to see me and indeed declaring me wanted on spurious, ridiculous and fictitious allegation that they arrested people who claimed I instructed them to kidnap the wife of an army colonel. When I called the number (08036516971) of one of the people calling my gateman demanding my whereabouts, the receiver claimed to be one John in Abuja and that he is a businessman who wants to discuss business with me. When I told him I'm a lawyer and not a business man, he asked me if I was afraid to do business. On further investigation, I discovered that these people from SARS had gone to my former residence and arrested a gateman there who told them he didn't know my current residence. They asked this man the phone number of my own gateman who is related to the one they arrested and detained. When I called a police officer and a friend of many years CSP Ben Igwe at SARS Asokoro to see if he can find out anything about the calls my domestic staff was getting and why, I was surprised when he answered me coldly and asked me twice “are you sure you don't know anything”. Ben later called me and told me he investigated the report I made to him and that his office arrested and is detaining someone whose name he didn't tell me, who he said claimed I ordered them to kidnap an army colonel's wife. He also said the detainee purportedly took them to my old residence and said I lived there, that I gave them money to buy motorcycle for their kidnapping etc. I am convinced that due to my rising political profile, and especially in view of my acclaimed chances of becoming the next governor of Imo State, certain politicians and or their surrogates may be using some police officers and perhaps some civilian collaborators to frame me up for kidnapping which is a very serious offence. I'm sure they chose this time of primary election season to get me arrested and detained and shot out of the process so that they could have their way. My background, antecedents, integrity, record of philanthropy and public service in Imo State and Nigeria are very well known by all and so it amounts to cheap book trick for some political opponents to seek to bring me down with such jaundiced and sensational allegations at this time of my rising political career. It has become a project for some deadly politicians in Imo who can't beat me at the polls to do all they can to intimidate and dissuade me from running for governor since I have one of the clearest chances of getting elected. It will not work.
I therefore urge the security agencies to treat this matter urgently and find these alarmist wherever they may be and punish them accordingly for sending tax payers money on a wild goose chase. I also urge the security agencies not to let anyone tarnish the hard earned image the police has struggled to build in their efforts to fight crime in Nigeria.
Rt (Hon) Ike C. Ibe Esq.
(Former Speaker, IMHA, Governorship Candidate, Imo State)
CC--The Director General
State Security Service,
Headquarters, Abuja