New Telegraph

Groups demand release of lady detained for 80 days

Aoalition of 48 civil society organisations (CSOs), have demanded that the Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, should immediately complywithorderof court, toeither grant bail to 21-year-old Gloria Okorie, who had been held in detention for 80 days or charge her to court. The groups condemned the continued incarceration of Gloria in utter disregard to court orders directing the police to either release her or produce her in court. Gloria’s parents were in search of her for more than two weeks before they found out she was in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force IntelligenceResponseTeam(IRT) in Owerri, Imo State.

A commercial cyclist, Izuchukwu Okeke, 41, who was conveying Gloria, and was arrested along with her, was detained at the Tiger Base, Owerri office of the IRT. He alerted Gloria’sparentsof herwhereabouts after his release from two weeks detention. Following her discovery, police moved her to Abuja and police were alleged to have extorted her parents anddidn’tallowthemtohaveaccess to her.

Accordingtothegroups,“Following the outrage that greeted public knowledge of Gloria’s secret detention, and revelations that she had been used for washing clothes and doing other humiliating chores, the police issued a belated statement in attempt to save face, claiming that Gloria is an informant to IPOB/ ESN, that they would charge her to Court ‘soon’ upon conclusion of “investigations.” The police re-arrested and detained OkekeonJuly 5, for revealing that Gloria was in their custody.

The police allegedly warned his family nevertoshowupatthepolicestation to ask for her or they would be shot. Okeke’s whereabouts has allegedly remained unknown till date. “Despitepolice’spromiseto‘soon’ charge Gloria to court, they have continued to hold her in unlawful custody and her family and lawyers have been denied access to her since June17, 2021 when she was arrested – nearly 80 days as of today,” stated the groups.

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