By Linus Effiong, Umuahia
A police officer identified as Inspector John, from Ndiegoro Police Division, Aba, Abia State on Wednesday escaped lynching at the Christ the King Cathedral (CKC), when he tried to whisk a worshipper out from the church premises.
Sources said that Inspector John came into the church premises on mufti with gun in the company of complainant to identify a certain suspect within the church premises for arrest.
As gathered, John drove his car with the complainant into CKC, identified the suspect who is a lady, but on the process of trying to whisk her out silently, she raised alarm which drew the attention of other worshippers and the church’s security.
The officer was said to have been given the beaten of his life time before some persons later identified him as a police inspector serving at the Ndiegoro Police Division, Aba.
When our Correspondent visited the church, multitude who learnt of the incident gathered at the three different entrances of the church insisting that the officer will never be allowed to go home until the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Janet Agbede comes in person.
As at when filling this reports, the Area Commander in charge of the Aba Police Command tried to intervene in the matter, but angry worshippers and passersby resisted every plea and insisted on seeing the Commissioner of Police.
Eyewitnesses told our reporter that the officer in question is fond of maltreating innocent residents, intimidating people and carrying out illegal and suspicious arrest with reckless abandon.
One of the eyewitnesses who preferred anonymity said, “Just look at the way he came in? How can you come for a genuine arrest within the headquarters of the Aba Catholic Diocese without notice or even collaborate with the church and its security?
“This is not the first time he’s been involved in provoking activities in Aba. I don’t know why they’ve refused to transfer him despite series of reports against him.”
A worshipper who simply identified himself as Cletus couldn’t hide his anger over the manner the officer tried to whisk the woman away.
He said, “He came into the church on mufti and gun. It sent wrong signal when the alarm was raised. Everything looked suspicious about his move and to me that is why when alarm was raised, people thought he was a kidnapper and descended on him.
“There’s a leadership in this church. There’s a security post here as well. How can someone just secretly think he can take somebody out of here and trued to intimidate his way out? His method is suspicious and must be looked into even after the disgrace he got today.
“He’s lucky that the security locked the whole gates because if almost all the angry people here who heard he is the one involved had been allowed to get hold of him today, he wouldn’t have had mouth to tell the story.
“You’re a journalist, call their leadership and ask them you’ll discover that John must have come on illegal duties. He’s taking too much in this Aba and all the CPs that have come and gone all failed to do something about his style of policing.
“We shall all stay here until the Commissioner of Police comes around to tell us why John is untouchable in Ndiegoro Police station notwithstanding every negative reports about him.
“Can you imagine trying to whisk a woman away unnoticed while she came to worship? The news tomorrow will be that she came to church and disappeared not knowing that she was secretly whisked away by police officer.”
A top source at CKC said that the lady John tried to whisk away with the excuse that she was involved in phone theft is a vocalist at the church. The source said that John’s reckless confrontational move when the church security tried to stop him led to the escalation of the whole problem.
“The security stopped him when the alarm was raised even before people started beating him, but he decided to scare people away with his gun. He opened fire, but the security and other worshippers stood their ground and waited for him to do his worst.
“His actions led to what happened to him today and I thank God he survived it. Next time he’ll learn to follow the normal procedure of doing things. I wonder how police still retain men like him who keep giving them bad records.”
Our Correspondent reports that it took the effort of the church’s security to prevent the angry passersby who later became a mob from finding their ways into the church to join in beating the officer.
When contacted to hear police, Janet Agbede, Abia State Commissioner of Police said she was in meeting.
