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Her passion is simple; desist from evil or I will expose you. This is the story of a Lady, Maureen Chima, founder of a non-governmental organization known as Center for Moral Mentorship who has gone into hiding ever since her passion got her at logger heads with the Divisional Police Officer, Central Police Station (CPS), Coal Camp, Enugu (names withheld).
Saturday Sun gathered that the police division recently got worried at her incessant petitions against people she perceived to be criminals and acted upon a petition by her family which led to her arrest and detention. She was however charged to court and remanded in prison for three days for failing to meet up with the bail condition.
For her frequent petitions against the people, her family members allege that she is taking advantage of her health challenge to oppress neighbours. Her narration however makes all sides to the dispute controversial.
Going down memory lane, Maureen who is sickly told Saturday Sun that she had to retire from the army because of health challenges. “I was with the Nigerian Army for years but had to resign due to my deteriorating health. I suffer from sickle cell anaemia and could no longer make use of one of my hip bones due to shortage of blood to that part of my body. I decided to form a non-governmental organization that will enable me restore morals in Nigeria. As an image maker in the army for 14 years, it was not difficult for me to start busting a lot of illegalities around me especially Enugu where I reside.”
According to Maureen this passion got her at logger heads with the DPO, CPS, Coal Camp who she said was not comfortable with her findings. “I discovered that most of the crimes committed in Coal camp were stage managed. The victims are those who refused to pay homage to the DPO who has spent more than six years in that police station.
“He felt threatened when I led security operatives to bust two baby factories and bust a kidnapping syndicate. The suspects confessed that they normally give N500, 000 monthly to the DPO to enable them operate. This was widely published in the national dailies. He sent people including my family members to ask me to leave Enugu or face his wrath. I called his bluff till the day I was arrested.”
Detained
On October 1, this year, Maureen became the hunted. “At about 6am, police officers stormed my house without a warrant of arrest demanding that I followed them to the station. I insisted that I should be told my crime but they dragged me and my little daughter to the police station. It was then that I was told that my brother who is a military officer wrote a petition against me. The DPO ordered that I should be detained alongside my daughter. I protested that my daughter who was sick committed no crime but they insisted and pushed us into a dirty cell. They equally took my walking stick, my phones and camera. The phones and camera contain documentaries and confessional statement of people he has been using to commit crime in Coal Camp. For the days we were in detention, we were denied access to drugs which I needed to take daily as a sickle cell patient.
“Two days later, my daughter was released and I was taken to court based on the charges arising from the petition. I was given stiff bail conditions. I was remanded in prison because I couldn’t meet up with the bail condition.
“The controller was even shocked when he saw the charge sheet and the bail condition given. He wondered who was interested in my incarceration. Out of pity, he ensured that my interest was well protected. I had access to drug and I was well taken care of, the only difference was that I had no access to phones.”
Few days later, Maureen was able to meet up with her bail conditions and regained her freedom pending when the matter is settled in court. “After my release, I had to relocate to an unknown destination because I knew that my life was at a risk. If the DPO can go as far as blackmailing my family to write petition against me, then I’m not safe. He has sent several threatening text messages to me that if I continue making him look bad in the eyes of Nigerians, that he will kill me and my daughter. These text messages are in my phone and if they dare delete them, it can be gotten from MTN. Since I have been on the run with my daughter who can no longer go to school for fear of being attacked.
“He had sent several persons including journalists to warn me. They are also terrified because the man has contacts in Abuja. This explains why he has served in CPS for more than eight years. Several petitions have been written for his removal yet he is still there making life unbearable for anyone who refuses to pay homage to him. I am not afraid because of my experience in the army.”
Need for Help
Maureen who spoke with Saturday Sun from her hideout has called on the Inspector General of Police to come to her rescue so that she and her daughter can live a normal life. “I am not after the downfall of anyone, but I’m simply reminding the DPO that corruption is not part of the reform agenda of the IGP. I know that I am no longer safe that is why I abandoned my home to an unknown destination. I want to thank the AIG zone 9 who has promised to investigate the matter and the Enugu State government who is also interested in my case. The Civil Liberty Organization (CLO) is also there fighting to ensure that my safety and that of my daughter is guaranteed.
“Conduct an independent investigation around Coal Camp and you will be shocked.”
Her Story is true
Collaborating her claims, Chairman of Ejindu motor park, Mr. Josiah lamented that his members had been forced to pay N100, 000 tofor bail over a matter that had nothing to do with the police. “There was a minor issue over payment of NEPA bill and the people involved agreed to pay to settle the bill. One of our members refused to pay and he was denied access to electricity. He quickly rushed and reported to the police who came and arrested two of our members. We pleaded and they asked us to come with N120, 000 to bail them. Wondering what it was all about, we took N20, 000 with us. We were shocked when they ordered that we should be detained pending when we get the balance. I warned the police to desist from that as people will like to know what our crime was but they kept us there till we raised the money.
The police argued that we are supposed to pay homage every month. I was so angry and wrote a petition to the CP to waded into this matter.
“If people like Maureen will be locked in jail, then we are not safe. The DPO has spent more than five years; I do not know why they refused to redeploy him”.
Another man Chief Nworah, a hotelier in Coal Camp also alleged that armed robbers visited his house and the DPO vehemently refused to investigate the matter. “On August 15, 2013, armed robbers stormed my hotel and robbed. I was beaten up and that very day they left with all our phones and cash worth about N500, 000. I saw the car and the number and immediately rushed to the station and made entry before I went for treatment. The DPO ignored my case, after five days, the DCO called me. I got information that he knows the boys and they confessed that they pay homage to the DPO and that nothing will happen. Just as they predicted, nothing happened. After two months, I petitioned the commissioner of police and asked SARS to handle the case, and the DPO refused to transfer the case. I ran to AIG zone 9 who approved it, and the DPO said that no one robbed me.
“The AIG even ordered that he should be transferred and nothing has been done. He has charged Maureen to court. We don’t know what we are suffering for. This is why he does not want the people.
“The thing is that if you don’t settle him, then you are at risk. I always give him a bag of rice and money and he argued that it was only three times. He had driven Maureen from Enugu. If she is on the run then no one is safe.”
Police reaction
All efforts to get the state police command spokesperson failed as he gave one reason or another why he was not disposed to talk about the matter. However a senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity advised the reporter to let sleeping dog lie. “The DPO is simply doing his job by acting on a petition alleging that Maureen assaulted his family members. If he is not a good man, the CP would have transferred him after spending five years at a particular police station. He must be exceptionally good. Maureen should stop destroying the name of a good man who has worked hard to rid coal camp of criminals. It was a family matter and the police did their job.”
Fears over Maureen’s health
When Saturday Sun sought to know from Maureen’s family, why they wrote the petition against their sister, his younger brother, Clinton said that he wrote the petition just to caution her. “Her family wants to help her and her daughter but she has decided to go into hiding. She has caused a lot of harm within the environment, thereby painting the family black. It was because of her excesses that I wrote the petition. She is a member of our family and we are worried that she has gone into hiding. She is sick and needs medical attention.”
Also her elder brother, Joe Chima said that she was taking advantage of the state of her health to intimidate people. “She is a controversial person and well connected in Nigeria. She was sent to prison on contempt of court charge. We are only asking that she should return home and learn to respect her family members. She is our sister and we cannot abandon her.
For her frequent petitions against the people, her family members allege that she is taking advantage of her health challenge to oppress neighbours. Her narration however makes all sides to the dispute controversial.
Going down memory lane, Maureen who is sickly told Saturday Sun that she had to retire from the army because of health challenges. “I was with the Nigerian Army for years but had to resign due to my deteriorating health. I suffer from sickle cell anaemia and could no longer make use of one of my hip bones due to shortage of blood to that part of my body. I decided to form a non-governmental organization that will enable me restore morals in Nigeria. As an image maker in the army for 14 years, it was not difficult for me to start busting a lot of illegalities around me especially Enugu where I reside.”
According to Maureen this passion got her at logger heads with the DPO, CPS, Coal Camp who she said was not comfortable with her findings. “I discovered that most of the crimes committed in Coal camp were stage managed. The victims are those who refused to pay homage to the DPO who has spent more than six years in that police station.
“He felt threatened when I led security operatives to bust two baby factories and bust a kidnapping syndicate. The suspects confessed that they normally give N500, 000 monthly to the DPO to enable them operate. This was widely published in the national dailies. He sent people including my family members to ask me to leave Enugu or face his wrath. I called his bluff till the day I was arrested.”
Detained
On October 1, this year, Maureen became the hunted. “At about 6am, police officers stormed my house without a warrant of arrest demanding that I followed them to the station. I insisted that I should be told my crime but they dragged me and my little daughter to the police station. It was then that I was told that my brother who is a military officer wrote a petition against me. The DPO ordered that I should be detained alongside my daughter. I protested that my daughter who was sick committed no crime but they insisted and pushed us into a dirty cell. They equally took my walking stick, my phones and camera. The phones and camera contain documentaries and confessional statement of people he has been using to commit crime in Coal Camp. For the days we were in detention, we were denied access to drugs which I needed to take daily as a sickle cell patient.
“Two days later, my daughter was released and I was taken to court based on the charges arising from the petition. I was given stiff bail conditions. I was remanded in prison because I couldn’t meet up with the bail condition.
“The controller was even shocked when he saw the charge sheet and the bail condition given. He wondered who was interested in my incarceration. Out of pity, he ensured that my interest was well protected. I had access to drug and I was well taken care of, the only difference was that I had no access to phones.”
Few days later, Maureen was able to meet up with her bail conditions and regained her freedom pending when the matter is settled in court. “After my release, I had to relocate to an unknown destination because I knew that my life was at a risk. If the DPO can go as far as blackmailing my family to write petition against me, then I’m not safe. He has sent several threatening text messages to me that if I continue making him look bad in the eyes of Nigerians, that he will kill me and my daughter. These text messages are in my phone and if they dare delete them, it can be gotten from MTN. Since I have been on the run with my daughter who can no longer go to school for fear of being attacked.
“He had sent several persons including journalists to warn me. They are also terrified because the man has contacts in Abuja. This explains why he has served in CPS for more than eight years. Several petitions have been written for his removal yet he is still there making life unbearable for anyone who refuses to pay homage to him. I am not afraid because of my experience in the army.”
Need for Help
Maureen who spoke with Saturday Sun from her hideout has called on the Inspector General of Police to come to her rescue so that she and her daughter can live a normal life. “I am not after the downfall of anyone, but I’m simply reminding the DPO that corruption is not part of the reform agenda of the IGP. I know that I am no longer safe that is why I abandoned my home to an unknown destination. I want to thank the AIG zone 9 who has promised to investigate the matter and the Enugu State government who is also interested in my case. The Civil Liberty Organization (CLO) is also there fighting to ensure that my safety and that of my daughter is guaranteed.
“Conduct an independent investigation around Coal Camp and you will be shocked.”
Her Story is true
Collaborating her claims, Chairman of Ejindu motor park, Mr. Josiah lamented that his members had been forced to pay N100, 000 tofor bail over a matter that had nothing to do with the police. “There was a minor issue over payment of NEPA bill and the people involved agreed to pay to settle the bill. One of our members refused to pay and he was denied access to electricity. He quickly rushed and reported to the police who came and arrested two of our members. We pleaded and they asked us to come with N120, 000 to bail them. Wondering what it was all about, we took N20, 000 with us. We were shocked when they ordered that we should be detained pending when we get the balance. I warned the police to desist from that as people will like to know what our crime was but they kept us there till we raised the money.
The police argued that we are supposed to pay homage every month. I was so angry and wrote a petition to the CP to waded into this matter.
“If people like Maureen will be locked in jail, then we are not safe. The DPO has spent more than five years; I do not know why they refused to redeploy him”.
Another man Chief Nworah, a hotelier in Coal Camp also alleged that armed robbers visited his house and the DPO vehemently refused to investigate the matter. “On August 15, 2013, armed robbers stormed my hotel and robbed. I was beaten up and that very day they left with all our phones and cash worth about N500, 000. I saw the car and the number and immediately rushed to the station and made entry before I went for treatment. The DPO ignored my case, after five days, the DCO called me. I got information that he knows the boys and they confessed that they pay homage to the DPO and that nothing will happen. Just as they predicted, nothing happened. After two months, I petitioned the commissioner of police and asked SARS to handle the case, and the DPO refused to transfer the case. I ran to AIG zone 9 who approved it, and the DPO said that no one robbed me.
“The AIG even ordered that he should be transferred and nothing has been done. He has charged Maureen to court. We don’t know what we are suffering for. This is why he does not want the people.
“The thing is that if you don’t settle him, then you are at risk. I always give him a bag of rice and money and he argued that it was only three times. He had driven Maureen from Enugu. If she is on the run then no one is safe.”
Police reaction
All efforts to get the state police command spokesperson failed as he gave one reason or another why he was not disposed to talk about the matter. However a senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity advised the reporter to let sleeping dog lie. “The DPO is simply doing his job by acting on a petition alleging that Maureen assaulted his family members. If he is not a good man, the CP would have transferred him after spending five years at a particular police station. He must be exceptionally good. Maureen should stop destroying the name of a good man who has worked hard to rid coal camp of criminals. It was a family matter and the police did their job.”
Fears over Maureen’s health
When Saturday Sun sought to know from Maureen’s family, why they wrote the petition against their sister, his younger brother, Clinton said that he wrote the petition just to caution her. “Her family wants to help her and her daughter but she has decided to go into hiding. She has caused a lot of harm within the environment, thereby painting the family black. It was because of her excesses that I wrote the petition. She is a member of our family and we are worried that she has gone into hiding. She is sick and needs medical attention.”
Also her elder brother, Joe Chima said that she was taking advantage of the state of her health to intimidate people. “She is a controversial person and well connected in Nigeria. She was sent to prison on contempt of court charge. We are only asking that she should return home and learn to respect her family members. She is our sister and we cannot abandon her.
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