Human rights group, Congress of Civil Society, Anambra State chapter,has accused the Anambra State vigilant group, Udogachi of detaining about 150 persons in their private detention camp in Awka illegally for the past five months without handing them over to the Nigerian Police.
In a letter to Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State, the group appealed to him to immediately order those in detention in their private camp in Awka and any other part of the State to be released with immediate effect.
In the letter signed by Comrade Damian Ogudike, chairman, Congress of Civil Society,, said that if the Governor failed to order for their release, they would not hesitate to head to court to enforce the fundamental rights of the detainees.
In their three-point demand, the rights groups said the detention camp in Awka and any other part of the State should be dismantled with immediate effect.
But in event of failure to release the detainees, said the group, the Anambra State Government with the management of Udogachi vigilant group should be prepared to pay one million naira (N1m) to each of the detainees for everyday they spent in detention until they are released to their families.
They noted that the vigilant group helped to reduce crime in the State to a reasonable extent but that was not enough reason to flout the law establishing it and the constitution of the land by detaining people since January 2025.
Said the rights body: “We doubt if the law setting up the security outfit empowers the body to set up detention camp and also empowers her to detain an individual, let alone for up to five months in her camp without handing such a person over to the Nigerian Police, the body saddled with the responsibility to handle criminal case by a federal law, which covers the field and superior to whatever law by tal he State House of Assembly”.
They however noted that the Governor’s office mighty not be privy of this illegality and gross abuse of law of the land but as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the State the Governor has a duty to call the members of the vigilant group to order as well as take proactive measures to ensure that the end of justice was served accordingly.
They said the Udogachi vigilant group instead of illegally detaining people in their camp ought to have handed over to the Police to conduct investigation of those involved in business of crime like armed robbery, kidnapping and murder for prosecution.
In the petition copied to the State Commissioner of Police, Director, Department of State Security (DSS) and the the State Attorney General and Commission for Justice, the rights group warned that failure to adhere to the demands of the petition within seven days, they would take “further steps to instruct our lawyers to take immediate legal action against Udogachi and Anambra State Government.
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