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Glory Okolie

09.11.2021 news Despite Bail, Lady Enslaved by IRT Policemen Spends 145 Days in Custody

Published 9th Nov, 2021

By Emmanuel Uti

Although granted bail by a federal high court, Glory Okolie, a 21-year-old lady arrested by officers of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Tiger Base, Owerri, Imo State, has spent 145 days in police custody.

On June 17, 2021, Glory was arrested by the IRT as bait to apprehend a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and was subsequently held as a maid for several weeks.

Glory’s family had visited hospitals and mortuaries in search of her before the first indication of her whereabouts came in late June when a young man just released from IRT custody in Owerri informed them that he had seen her in detention. He stated that Glory had been turned into a maid by the officers, cooking and cleaning for them.

READ MORE: SPOTLIGHT: Who is Glory Okolie, the ‘IPOB Spy Girl’ Enslaved by IRT?

Glory’s family members immediately went to the IRT headquarters but were refused access to see her. Rather, they were compelled to pay a fee.

According to Behind Bars Right Initiative (BBI), a human rights group fighting Glory’s course, she was detained as a pawn to arrest an IPOB member with whom she was in a relationship. Subsequently, she was transported to an Abuja jail and identified as an IPOB member.

“Glory was arrested and used as a soft target to arrest her male friend who is allegedly an IPOB member. After arrest, they refused to let her go and turned her to their cook and laundry servant,” Harrison Gwamishu, co-founder of BBI, wrote on Facebook.

POLICE ACCUSATIONS AND FAMILY CLAIMS

The police claimed they established contact between Glory and Uzoma Emojiri, a suspected IPOB commander, and arrested her to get him. However, Glory’s relatives said they had never heard of Emojiri.

READ MORE: Glory Okolie’s Mum Begs IRT’s Tunji Disu to Release her Daughter — but No!

“The gentleman is not from here, and we have no idea where he is from. We had never met him. It was only after this incident that we discovered they were tying him to Glory,” Christian Okolie, Glory’s uncle, said.

Additionally, the police said around N17.5 million was traced to Gloria’s bank accounts.

“The suspect accessed and transferred funds to the ESN via her bank accounts. Investigations revealed that around N17.5 million was transferred to IPOB/ESN members through her accounts. Police investigations have confirmed her involvement in IPOB’s operations,” said the police.

Glory’s family, on the other hand, disputed the report that N17.5 million was traced to her account. Glory’s uncle told FIJ that he was unaware she was in charge of such a huge sum.

Usman Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), initiated an inquiry into Glory’s unlawful imprisonment and slavery after a social media outcry.

READ ALSO: Gloria Okolie Sues IGP, Demands N100bn for Illegal Detention

However, the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, on August 21, said, in a press statement, that the lady was arrested and detained for “her complicity in the series of deliberate and well-coordinated attacks on security formations and other critical national infrastructure, including INEC offices, and killing of security operatives in the southeastern part of the country”.

CSP Aremu Adeniran, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, who signed the statement, said Glory was arrested “following ongoing investigations and implementation of the special operation, Operation Restore Peace, to amongst other things, break the information, drugs and arms supply chain to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, in the southeast region”.

HOPE FOR GLORY

Glory’s lawyer, Harrison Gwamishu, told FIJ on Tuesday that he was hoping for Glory’s release. “Glory will be in court next Monday,” he said. “Hopefully, she will be granted bail.”

“We’re hopeful she’ll be discharged by next week. I’m hoping she’s granted bail in court. They are aware that a major controversy would erupt over her case, which is why they are opposed to her release.”

Glory’s uncle also expressed optimism about her release.

“I want her freed quickly since her detention is awful,” he told FIJ.

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Published 9th Nov, 2021

By Emmanuel Uti

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