Enugu residents cry out over indiscriminate arrests

Ahead of the Christmas and New Yearfestivities, residents of Enugu have cried over a wave of indiscriminate arrest of citizens by the police in the city.Some of the residents who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, described the police action as unlawful and a violation of their rights to free movement.The police, however, defended its action, saying it was a routine security measure to rid the state of criminals during the yuletide.A trader, Mr Nnamdi Umedi, said the police had recently been ``invading peoples' homes and work places for arrest with no just reason.'We are citizens and have the rights to move around at any time. It is not done like this anywhere,'' he said.Another resident, Mrs Adaeze Okonkwo, described the police action as intimidating, claiming that law-abiding people were being targeted.'We have not witnessed any criminal incident that can lead to such arrest by the police,'' she said, calling on the state government to investigate the matter.Mr Ebere Amarizu, the Police Spokesman in the state, explained that the arrest was a proactive strategy to prevent crime.He said the police were only raiding criminal hideouts and black spots in the metropolis.'Along Main Market where the arrests were made today was one of our flash points. If you are arrested, you will be interrogated and if found to be a criminal, you will be detained,' he said.He assured the residents that the swoop on criminal hideouts would continue, saying that all those arrested would be screened to ensure that innocent people were set free immediately.
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