A socio-political youth group and the umbrella body of all the youth organisations in the South-East geo-political zone, Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), yesterday drew attention to what it termed, “a lingering injustice in the prosecution of police officers involved in extra judicial killings in Abia State.”

The group noted in a statement issued by its President General, Chief Goodluck Ibem and Secretary-General, Mr. Kanice Igwe, that “It is sad to state that during the lockdown some police officers in Abia state command of the force carried out successively extrajudicial killings on Abians in places like Ururuka and Ohafia in a rather unprofessional manner to keep to the COVID-19 protocols.

“The Coalition regret to announce that barring arrest of these officers, no prosecutorial trial of any kind has followed, not even hearing.” COSEYL noted that keeping the officers for rather too long under protective custody would amount to injustice on Ene Okon, the immediate past commissioner of police in Abia State, whose redeployment at the heat of the extra-judicial killings was seen as punitive.

The group said the trend was worrisome, especially when the state command had vowed to set up a highpowered committee to look into this issue. It called for immediate public prosecution of the officers in the interest of justice.

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