Court Bars Police from Carrying out Mass Arrests in Enugu Community

–        As 10 youths sue CP, IGP over alleged torture
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu

A sense of relief has descended on Mburubu in Nkanu East Local Government of Enugu State following a court order stopping the police from carrying out a planned mass arrest of over 70 prominent members of the community.

Among the people slated for arrest over Igweship issue are the Enugu State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Prince Lawrence Eze, the Prime Minister of Mburubu Kingdom, High Chief Linus Igbudu, and 74 others.

An Enugu State High Court presided over by Justice C.O Ajah imposed the order following an ex parte motion No. E/FHR/1458/2025 in the matter of an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights brought by the men whose names were listed for arrest by the police .

A similar order was also imposed on the police in motion No. E/1093M/25 in the matter of an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights brought by 10 youths of Mburubu following their arrest, detention and alleged torture by the police.

In the two separate applications, the defendants were listed as the Enugu State Police Commissioner, CSP Anosike Nduwuisi (Commander of SWAT), Emmanuel Uchenna Ogazi(IPO SWAT), Ozo Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, Nigeria Police, and the Inspector General of Police.

The Special Weapons and Tactical Squad (SWAT) of the Enugu Police Command had on November 3, 2025 arrested 10 youths, who were detained for three weeks after which they came out with chilling stories of torture meted out to them.

The youths said they were arrested for refusing to participate in the new yam festival organised by a disqualified aspirant to the Igweship stool, Ozo Jerry Onuokaibe.

Counsel to the applicants, Barr. Ike Ozo had while arguing the motion urged the court “to take judicial notice of how the police brutalised, tortured the first applicant (Cletus Eze), leaving him barely able to walk with torture marks on his arms and legs.

He asked for restraining order barring the defendants from inviting or arresting the applicants, having released them after three weeks of ordeal in police detention.

The applicants’ counsel backed his submission with two separate court orders. The first order was handed down by Justice Ajah on February 1, 2024, restraining the fourth defendant from parading himself as the Igwe (traditional ruler) of Mburubu Kingdom.

A second order was issued on October 28, 2025 by Justice J.L.C Okibe of Amagunze High court in suit No. HAMA/24/2025.

It restrained the fourth defendant from organising or holding a new yam festival, which he had scheduled for November 1, 2025.

Ruling on the ex parte motion, Justice Ajah stated the issues raised in the 29-paragraph affidavit were cogent enough to sustain the issues raised by the plaintiffs in their application.

He vehemently condemned the “scandalous” disobedience of earlier orders of the court by the fourth defendant with the help of the police.

Speaking with journalists after the court proceedings, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ozo said that the case was instituted in order to get justice for the 10 Mburubu youths who were illegally arrested and tortured by the police.

He traced the incident to the Igweship tussle which ensued in Mburubu town sometime last year when “one Jerry Onuokaibe said he was contesting for Igwe (and) the leadership of the community insisted that “we have a constitution which guides the rotation of Igwe”.

According to Barr. Ozo, the Mburubu Constitution adopted in 1976 provides for rotational principle in Igwe succession, adding that the first Igwe that died came from the eldest village (Umudara). 

“Then, naturally, and in accordance with that constitution, the next Igwe should come from the second eldest village (Uhuagba),” he said, adding that though Onuokaibe is not from the second eldest village, he still insisted on becoming the Igwe.

Ozo acknowledged that Onuokaibe has his personal right to nurse the ambition of becoming the traditional ruler but such aspiration must be within the confines of Mburubu Constitution as it relates to Igwe succession.

He said that it was to preserve the sanctity of their Constitution and maintain of Igwe succession order that the community went to court in suit number HAMA/1/2024 and got a favourable judgement on January 12, 2025.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Ajah, the Igweship aspirant, Onuokaibe was disqualified and barred from contesting on the ground that he is not from Uhuagba village which was entitled to produce the next Igwe in accordance to the Constitution of the community.

The community’s counsel condemned the role played by the police to torture the youths on instigation by an Igweship aspirant, noting that it was horrifying that the police would be procured “to flagrantly disobey” the court of laws.

He said: “My worry is not even the man contesting. Our worry is the police. The police, especially the CSP, the man in charge of SWAT. These are the people torturing these boys because of the influence of an individual”.

One of the alleged tortured youths, Cletus Eze, who is a PhD student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), said that when he was subjected to three successive days of torture he almost gave up.

“I begged for death but death didn’t come,” he said.