Haz Iwendi, Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, Nigeria

New York, May 6, 2008---Africans In America, Inc. (AIA), a leading human rights organization addressing social issues concerning the larger African immigrant community in United States has expressed condolences to the government and people of Nigeria; particularly, the Nigeria Police Force on the reported sudden death of former Force Public Relation Officer (FPRO), Commissioner of Police (CP) Hyacinth A. Iwendi, (aka. Popularly called Haz Iwendi).

CP Iwendi was said to have collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday April 30, 2008; was admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the Ahmed Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika near Zaria, Kaduna State, and died in the evening of Monday May 5, 2008.

Speaking to Africans In America News Watch correspondent in New York, the Executive Director of Africans In America, Inc., Mr. Bonaventure Ezekwenna remembers the late CP Iwendi as a caring, outstanding and reform-minded senior police officer of our time.

Mr. Ezekwenna remembers the co-operations the late FPRO gave his organization while working on attempted murder of a 23 years old female who was stabbed on the back of her head and abandoned on the street of Shomolu, Lagos in 2006.

The clearly terrified female victim of the violent crime contacted his organization (Africans In America, Inc.) for assistance because her assailant was a Lagos-based lawyer known to brag that he is too-connected with the police in Lagos and around Nigeria, and therefore above the law.

23 years old female victim of violent crime in Lagos with her stab wound at the back of her head. Her assailant was a lawyer known to brag about his police-connections

While Africans In America, Inc. was pressing Nigeria Police Force to investigate the attempted murder of the 23 year old female, FPRO Iwendi wrote the organization and among other things stated the following; “I have carefully perused the statement of your client and the attachments. …..in view of your special interest and intervention in the matter, you are to advise your client to contact the Assistant Inspector-General Zone 2 Onikan Lagos. She is to download this mail and go along with it as proof. You are to be informed that there are no more sacred cows or untouchables in Nigeria criminal Justice system. I shall appreciate if you keep me posted of any other development, please”

Despite, assurances from the FPRO, the police officers who conducted the investigation at Zone 2 Command mishandled the case, a clear sign of serious problem of corruption and enforcing the law in the field offices.

Mr. Ezekwenna displayed copies of mails his organization had received from the famous late FPRO and stated that Mr. Iwendi, quite unlike average Nigeria senior civil servants, was a great communicator.

Mr. Iwendi will be mostly remembered for his very eloquent defense of the battered image of the Nigeria Police Force, especially under the leadership of Inspector Generals Tafa Balogun and Sunday Ehindero.

In June 2006, Centre for Law Enforcement Education (CLEEN) released a survey which stated that Nigerians regard their police force as one of the country's most corrupt institutions.

"This survey does not reflect the present reality on the ground, there are lots of changes going on," the late FPRO Iwendi told the BBC in attempt to spin his police force clean.

He said the police were actively exposing those who were corrupt within the service, unlike other government agencies.

"Nigeria's police has the best quality mechanism in this country - there's no organization that cleanses itself like the Nigerian police force", said police spokesman, Haz Iwendi.

The current Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro promoted Mr. Iwendi to Commissioner of Police and transferred him to head Kaduna State Police Command in November 2006.

He is survived by his wife and five children.

Describing CP Iwendi as a great loss to the nation, “May his soul Rest-In-Peace; and may God Almighty give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss”, Mr. Ezekwenna prayed.