In a concerning incident in Rivers State, the family of a pregnant woman has raised an alarm over her detention due to a stolen water pumping machine.
According to the family, the employee named Mrs. Mercy Elvis was detained at the Olu Obasanjo Police Division on the instructions of her boss, a former woman leader of the All Progressives Congress in the state who she served as a Gardener.
According to the victim’s elder brother, Mr. Samuel Aru, his sister was arrested on Thursday in connection with the missing water pump from her workplace. When he attempted to secure her release, the Investigating Police Officer reportedly informed him that the woman leader had instructed them not to grant her bail until she paid the sum of N120,000, which was the alleged cost of the missing machine.
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Aru expressed shock at the situation, criticizing the police officer’s actions and emphasizing that his sister was unwell, pregnant, and had not received her medication since her arrest.
Mrs. Jane James, a lawyer and member of the Human Rights Committee of the Nigeria Bar Association, condemned the police’s handling of the case, accusing them of taking the law into their own hands. She stressed that a suspect should be arraigned within 24 hours of arrest, or if there are no courts available in that jurisdiction, they should be produced before a competent court within 48 hours.
Furthermore, James pointed out that the pregnant woman’s rights were being violated, and it was concerning that a police officer would conspire with a complainant to act against the principles of the constitution, which presumes anyone arrested innocent until proven guilty in a competent court.
When contacted, the state police spokesperson, Grace Iringe, stated that, according to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station in question, the pregnant woman had been granted bail.
However, her release was delayed due to the lack of a suitable surety to facilitate the process.