The people of Abagana in Njikoka Local Govern­ment Area of Anambra State have disagreed with the Nigeria Police that 23 of their kinsmen arrested by security agents were terrorists.
The state command of the Nigeria Police had published the arrest in a national daily with pictures of the suspects, describing them as terrorists.

Reacting to the report, the Abagana Welfare Union (AWU), in a statement signed by its Acting President-Gen­eral, Chief Ben Ugha, de­scribed the report as false and the handiwork of mis­chief makers who succeeded in deceiving the police to be­lieve their claims.

Ugha said that there were no terrorists in Abagana and accused the Anambra police commissioner of taking sides with a party in the land dis­pute between Ukpo commu­nity and Abagana.

He said that the police commissioner was aware that Ichie Austin Ezudu and others as representatives of Ukpo community
and Abagana.

He said that the police commissioner was aware that Ichie Austin Ezudu and others as representatives of Ukpo community sued the late Chief Augustine Ezenwa and others of Abagana Town over the said land in Suit No. A/74/95 and that the judg­ment given in favour of the Ukpo community was ap­pealed by his kinsmen in Ap­peal No: CA/E/86/2012 and Motion No: CA/110M/2015.

According to him, the people of Abagana are shocked by the “brutal and militant invasion of their homes, the violent and brute arrest and criminalisation of their responsible, respected and worthy sons as suspect terrorists.”

Ugha added that the pub­lication and the statement of the police commissioner were not only “devoid of truth, de­ceptive and deliberately pub­lished to portray his office and his men as being effec­tive, smart and efficient.”
He gave the names of those arrested by the police as Chief Eugene Anene, a repu­table transporter and a leader in the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union (NURTW) and Chief Amo­bi Ezekwe, an international businessman, known for his fearlessness. He said that they were arrested in the comfort of their homes and not in any hideout as claimed by the po­lice.

Others are: Mr. Stephen Ezichiegwu, a major distribu­tor of drinks and sundry items in Eke Abagana, Mr. Charles Nwazoje, a businessman in Abagana, who was arrested in Aba by the Ukpo Vigilan­te men and handed over to the police and 10 members of staff of EM Petroleum, Abaga­na, who are not from Abaga­na. He said they were arrested to embarrass and incriminate Chief Emmanuel Nwude, who is also a leader in Abaga­na community.

Ugha said: “It is important to note that all the people were arrested in the presence of wit­nesses at noon, no ammuni­tion or dynamite was found on them. Where was the hideout where they were nabbed and from where did the AK-47 and the dynamites obtained?

“We, the good people of Abagana affirm our faith in the country with unshakable belief in the rule of law; we believe that nobody, whether swimming in the oil bloc of Nigeria is above the law. We are not unaware that anybody has oceanic and prodigious fi­nancial, liberal propensity that can command security agents to blackmail our people.

“We are urgently appealing to the Presidency, the Gover­nor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, the National Assembly, the Acting Inspec­tor-General of Police and oth­er Nigerians to save our people who are so dastardly black­mailed, humiliated by the po­lice, illegally detained and denied access to lawyers, bail and medications,” he said.

http://authorityngr.com/2016/08/Anambra-community-to-Police--23-detainees-are-not-terrorists

I remember reading the much publicised Nigerian Police version of this story on NL Front Page

https://www.nairaland.com/3314314/villagers-bombed-police-station-anambra#48857130

The mods should consider moving this to front page so that people will read the other side of the story.

When will the Nigerian Police start telling us the truth and stop playing out the "who pays the Piper" fable?