15 hours ago
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A former Super Falcons midfielder, Maureen Mmadu’s quest to get justice after she was defamed, unlawfully arrested and brutalised with some players of her academy by some men of the Anambra Police Command, has met a brick wall, following the police’s refusal to attend to her matter.
The 49-year-old had on November 20, met with officials of the Anambra State Police Command in the wake of the public outcry about her unlawful arrest and defamation of character by one Uchenna Onyekwunife, a parent of one of the players in her camp at Maureen Mmadu Kiddies Academy, who accused her of armed gangsterism, child trafficking and threat to life.
Recall that on October 9, men of the Anti-cult unit of the Anambra State Police Command stormed the Ozubulu Camp of the Academy, beating everyone in sight, including the female players, and taking Mmadu away in handcuffs, calling her all sorts of names.
But following the continuous silence by the police since the complaint was lodged, Mmadu, accompanied by her academy students and parents, staged a peaceful protest at the command’s headquarters in Awka, on Tuesday, demanding justice over her alleged dehumanisation by security personnel.
The footballer said the protest followed an uninvestigated petition against her by a parent, who she said dumped his daughter at the academy for months.
Narrating her ordeal to journalists during the protest, Mmadu explained that the parent, one Uchenna, handed over his daughter to her in June for basic football training during the long holiday, but abandoned his daughter with her for four months without showing up until he sent a cab driver to pick her up in late September.
She said, “We are here to seek justice and redress over what happened at our academy on October 9, when security operatives from the Anti-cult unit of the Anambra State Police Command invaded our academy and brutalised me, my players and anybody they came across.
“The police operatives stormed our academy on the orders of the father of one of the players who dumped his daughter at the academy in June without showing up until September. He dropped his daughter at the academy in June promising to come and pick her up in September when schools would resume.
“Only for him to invade the academy with police officers on October 9, without any warrant and started brutalising me and my players. They destroyed all the mobile phones of the players and also electrical gadgets at the academy. They handcuffed me, accusing me of all sorts of things like a kidnapper, cultists and so on.
“They beat up and severely injured my players and they were hospitalised. We lodged a complaint at the command headquarters and the police collected all the mobile phones of the players, promising to prevail on the man who brought the police to repair them and also paid for the medical bills of the injured players.
“But till today, nothing has been done, the police kept turning us back and forth. The police command referred us to Zone 13 and when we got to Zone 13, they would refer us back to the command. So, we are here today so that the Commissioner of Police will give justice to the girls who were brutalised, manhandled and injured by the operatives of the police anti-cult unit. We are here so that the police will fish out the officers who invaded our camp to brutalise us.”
Mmadu said the police personnel forced themselves into the camp without investigating the allegations or producing a warrant, traumatised the players, seized their mobile phones, inflicted severe injuries on the girl, handcuffed her, and threw her into their vehicle.
She is, however, demanding justice, stating that her image has been severely damaged, and she feels embarrassed.
She requested the police to return all mobile phones in their possession and investigate the man who abandoned his child and petitioned against her.
But while the protesters gathered in front of the command, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Obono Itam, in company with other police personnel, ordered Mmadu and the players to leave the gate.
Itam, who snubbed the ex-Falcons star and her players, asked them to leave the road, allowing him and other personnel to drive past. The personnel shouted “Comot for road” as they cleared the way.
Mmadu was later granted entrance to the command, where an officer instructed her to take her protest to the Zone 13 police headquarters in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
The footballer expressed dismay at the attitude of the police, saying, “This is the way they have been turning us here and there. They have refused to return the mobile phones they collected and also they have refused to order the man to pay the medical bills of the injured players.”
English (US) ·