By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Warri
AWKA: An Anambra-based journalist, David-Chyddy Eleke, has accused a US-based Nigerian, Mr. Ikechukwu Nkumeh, of using security operatives in Ebonyi State to intimidate him and his family over a land dispute.
Eleke, who reports for THISDAY Newspaper, called on the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Anthonia Uche-Anya, to intervene and stop alleged abuses by officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and SWAT.
In a statement made available to journalists in Ebonyi and Anambra States, Eleke claimed that Nkumeh and his brother, Friday Nkumeh, had been using security personnel to harass and detain members of his family since December 2024.
“These men have become a terror in our village. They have been grabbing lands from their neighbors and using the police to intimidate anyone who resists. Many young people from my kindred no longer sleep in their homes because they fear being kidnapped in the dead of the night,” Eleke said.
According to him, three of his relatives remain in police custody due to “frivolous charges” allegedly orchestrated by the Nkumeh brothers. He expressed concerns that he could be the next target after rejecting their claim over a family land.
“He has filed a petition against me, and though I don’t know the specific allegations, I have been receiving police invitations.
I strongly believe this is a plot to lure me to Abakaliki, where I could be arrested and detained unjustly,” he added.
Eleke urged the Ebonyi State Police Command to ensure justice and refrain from being used as a tool for oppression. He noted that a lawsuit had already been filed to determine the rightful owner of the disputed land.
“We respect the law, which is why we took the matter to court. If we were violent, we could have pulled down the structure he built on our land,” he stated.
The journalist appealed to CP Uche-Anya to uphold human rights and facilitate the release of his detained relatives.