•IGP Kayode Egbetokun
A coalition of Civil Society Groups in Ebonyi State has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the circumstances that led to the detention of some indigenes of Ikwo Local Government Area at the instance of a lawmaker.
The Prof. Joseph Agbo-led coalition said the call became necessary because petitions to police authorities on the activities of the lawmaker had stalled for months, reports Daily Independent.
In one of the petitions, the coalition accused the federal lawmaker of unlawful possession of firearms and land-grabbing.
It listed some indigenes of the constituency, including Friday Alefia, a reporter and Chisom Achor, a Tik-Toker, as being behind bars after they were arrested and arraigned by the Police at the behest of the lawmaker.
Others are Achor’s brother, Chinonso Imeba and one Paul Nweke .
The group, which comprises four Civil Society Organisations–Human Rights Volunteer Corps ( HRVC), Human Rights Action Group, Centre for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) and Good Living Initiative, added that a few others had been compelled to flee their communities to avert falling victims of the lawmaker’s thugs.
One of the petitions sent to Egbetokun and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, by the group’s lawyers, Ede S. Ede & Co, on behalf of Emeka Kingsley, Nweke Chidi, and others was dated November 25.
The petition reads in part, “It is our client’s brief that they have seen evil and what appears to be a permanent life in hell fire in the hands of the Honourable. Our clients say that the actions of the lawmaker are not only atrocious but it is a situation of the timid mentality of might is right syndrome.
“Our clients contend that the lawmaker displays firearms with ammunition anyhow and shoots without control as he feels untouchable and has boasted severally that not even the Inspector General of Police can question his activities as he is his personal friend.
“Our clients say that the honourable finds it very pleasurable to oppress the poor and any dissenting voice, more especially when the person or persons refuses to pay illegal levy which he often uses his cronies to levy on the downtrodden … or when the person refuses to surrender his land (s) grabbing.’’
The coalition had last week decried the high level of attacks on free speech by the lawmaker who has been in the news for causing the detention of those who criticise him on social media in police cells and correctional centres.
Also, a commissioner in the state, who, allegedly ordered the torture of a journalist, Godwin Aliuna, by the members of the Neighborhood Watch was rebuked by the group .
The coalition’s leader, Agbo, at recent appearances on television and radio programmes had reiterated that although the groups do not in any way support defamation of the character of anyone, cyber-bullying or cyber-stalking of any kind among others, the allegations leveled against the lawmaker were too heavy not to be investigated by concerned authorities.
He specifically made reference to Alefia, whose case was referred to a Federal High Court. He said the judge fined that prosecutor N50,000 for attempting to ensure that he does not get bail.”
He said the groups’ biggest concern was that ‘’as long as there are laws in our land, even if one commits murder, the laws have provided for how such a person should be handled according to law.’’
“As a coalition, we never and we would never support cyber-bullying of anybody. But we don’t want the cybercrime laws to become another Public Officers Protection Against False Accusation Decree Number 2 under the military rule. We are worried that the cybercrimes law appears to be slipping into that Decree’’’ the coalition boss added.
“What we are saying is that the Hon. did not go to arrest any of these persons. The Police did. He did not drag any of them to these courts. The Police also did.
‘’The judiciary is the one that is hearing these cases. But the point we are making is: Why do you arrest somebody, handcuff him like a common criminal for cyber-bullying or defamation and you dump him in the station for weeks, or for days, and in the case of Friday Alefia, for months. Why do you refer a case of cyber-bullying to a magistrate court?’’
