CAPTION: Hillary Mutyambai, Inspector General of Plice (IGP)
FROM INBOX
A friend called me yesterday night very scared that he had been abducted. Later on I discovered it's a new scheme by police at Meru police station.
It's a group of around 8 police officers moving around abducting anyone walking on the streets as early as 10 p.m. in the name of loitering. I say abduction because they are moving around using two private Toyota Proboxes (yesterday night they were using KBZ 476J & KBN 074G).
They stash people in the boot and rear seat then transport them to the station or waiting lorry hidden at strategic corners. You are not booked at the OB fisrt. They hold you in a cell and those who pay Ksh 1000 are released. Those that cannot are booked in the OB.
They have taken advantage of the fact that people around this town do not actually care about their rights and are willing to part with bribes. This has been turned into a culture.
This trend is alarming for some major reasons. It will give rise to a criminal gang that will start abducting people in proboxes. The police will take it a notch higher since the entire hierarchy at the station is aware and is doing nothing. The most dangerous security threat is plain clothes police picking innocent people at night in private vehicles. I now call upon anyone who cares to share this widely so that this activity is halted and people held accountable.
Night patrols should be about maintaining security and not turned to mafia like extortion rackets.
Let this reach the Governor, the MPs, MCAs, Village elders, neighbors, students.
Anyone walking around the streets in Meru nowadays is scared of police, not criminals or both.