Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa Sate
The wife and family of a detained Ijaw youth politician, Nengi Ikiba, has accused the Bayelsa State government of conniving with the police to frame up their son. Mr. Ikiba is facing trial over his alleged involvement in cultism.
Mr. Ikiba, a former aspirant for the Bayelsa House of Assembly in the 20011 general elections, is being detained by the police over allegations that he is the leader of a cult group called the Greenlanders.
But the detainee’s wife, Preye Ikiba, told newsmen at a news conference in Yenagoa on Wednesday, that the allegations against her husband were trumped-up by agents of the state government in connivance with the police to “deal” with the husband.
“My husband is being persecuted because of his political aspiration to contest the Presidency of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),” she said. Ms. Ikiba added that her husband “had told me before his present travails that Felix Tuodolor, a commissioner in the state, had called him to step down his ambition to contest the IYC election, but he refused. He said Tuodolor had threatened to deal with him.”
She explained that her husband never wanted to contest the IYC elections, but was persuaded to join the race after pressure from prominent personalities in the Ijaw nation.
According to her, since the arrest and detention of her husband, the police had refused to arraign him in court, a development that has raised fears in the family that the state government was out to deal with Mr. Ikiba.
Mr. Ikiba was detained after he had presented himself to the police who had asked that he appear before them to respond to an alleged petition against him.
“My husband had gone to the police after they summoned him to appear, but on getting there, he was quickly arrested and thrown into detention,” said Ms. Ikiba. She continued: “When we heard about it, I went with his elder brother to the police. We were later told by a police officer we met that Nengi is being detained because someone wrote a petition against him that he is a cult leader in the state.”
But the detainee’s wife, Preye Ikiba, told newsmen at a news conference in Yenagoa on Wednesday, that the allegations against her husband were trumped-up by agents of the state government in connivance with the police to “deal” with the husband.
“My husband is being persecuted because of his political aspiration to contest the Presidency of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC),” she said. Ms. Ikiba added that her husband “had told me before his present travails that Felix Tuodolor, a commissioner in the state, had called him to step down his ambition to contest the IYC election, but he refused. He said Tuodolor had threatened to deal with him.”
She explained that her husband never wanted to contest the IYC elections, but was persuaded to join the race after pressure from prominent personalities in the Ijaw nation.
According to her, since the arrest and detention of her husband, the police had refused to arraign him in court, a development that has raised fears in the family that the state government was out to deal with Mr. Ikiba.
Mr. Ikiba was detained after he had presented himself to the police who had asked that he appear before them to respond to an alleged petition against him.
“My husband had gone to the police after they summoned him to appear, but on getting there, he was quickly arrested and thrown into detention,” said Ms. Ikiba. She continued: “When we heard about it, I went with his elder brother to the police. We were later told by a police officer we met that Nengi is being detained because someone wrote a petition against him that he is a cult leader in the state.”
She disclosed that his family retained a lawyer who filed a case of unlawful detention before the Federal High Court in Yenagoa. The court then ordered the police to try the suspect within 48 hours or release him unconditionally.
“The police have refused to take my husband to court as directed by the court. This is injustice. They have decided to keep my husband in detention without trial. This is injustice of the highest order,” said Ms. Ikiba.
She added that the police informed the family that Mr. Ikiba was being detained over allegations that he had sent some cult boys to murder someone in 2005, a charge she said was trumped-up by the state government.
“The Bayelsa government and the police authorities have ganged up to deal with my husband because of politics. My husband is not a cultist. People who know him very well can attest to this. This is a case of oppression,” the detained suspect’s wife asserted.
“The police have refused to take my husband to court as directed by the court. This is injustice. They have decided to keep my husband in detention without trial. This is injustice of the highest order,” said Ms. Ikiba.
She added that the police informed the family that Mr. Ikiba was being detained over allegations that he had sent some cult boys to murder someone in 2005, a charge she said was trumped-up by the state government.
“The Bayelsa government and the police authorities have ganged up to deal with my husband because of politics. My husband is not a cultist. People who know him very well can attest to this. This is a case of oppression,” the detained suspect’s wife asserted.
Despite the failure to arraign Mr. Ikiba in court, officials of the Bayelsa government have been disparaging him publicly, a development that appears to bear out the family’s claim that he is a victim of political persecution. In a statement circulated to the press on Tuesday, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Bernard Kenibai, a special adviser to Governor Seriake Dickson, castigated Mr. Ikiba. He stated: “The arrest and detention of an alleged leader of a notorious cult group, Mr. Nengi Ikiba, would serve as a deterrent to his likes. Our declaration of war against cultism and other related vices has begun to yield dividend.”
The governor’s aide was, however, silent on the flagrant failure by the police and state prosecutors to obey the Federal High Court’s order to arraign the suspect before a court or release him.
“Colonel Kenibai’s statement is against the spirit of the Nigerian legal system which presumes each suspect innocent until found guilty by a competent court,” said a Yenagoa-based lawyer.
No comments:
Post a Comment