Virgina Okolie, mother of the 21-year-old lady arrested and enslaved by operatives of the Inpector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Imo State, has pleaded with the Police to free her daughter, who has spent over 70 days in captivity. 

During a Facebook live programme with Harrison Gwamnishu, the human rights activist fighting for Glory Okolie’s freedom, the 65-year-old woman broke down in tears, pleading with Tunji Disu, the IRT commander, over the phone. 

She asked to hear Glory’s voice, but the request was not met as the commander hung up the call. The mother pleaded with Nigerians to implore the Police to release her daughter and forgive her if she had committed any offence by mistake.

“Since Glory’s case, I have not been sleeping or eating,” she said, amid tears. “I don’t even go anywhere. My husband died in 2011, so I don’t have anyone to help me. I’m begging Nigerians to come to my aid. I am suffering.”

The Nigeria Police Force earlier admitted to arresting and detaining Gloria as bait to get a member of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB). The Police have detained her since her arrest on June 17 and have been using her as a maid.

On Friday, Usman Baba, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), ordered an investigation into the illegal detention and enslavement of Glory, following social media uproar.

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

CSP Aremu Adeniran, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, who signed the press 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 South-East region”.