A human rights organization,the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice(CHRSJ) has strongly condemned the illegal arrest of its Executive Chairman,Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman and eighteen(18) Ibadan indegenes over their involvement in peaceful protest against the alleged plan of the few political office holders in the cabinent of Mr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to convert the Ibadan Mechanical Village to personal use after leaving office in 2027.
The source closed to the Oyo State Police Command in Ibadan, disclosed that CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman was arrested on Tuesday morning during his preparation to participate in another nationwide protest against the illegal arrest and detention of the human rights activist and lawyer,Dele Farotimi by the Ekiti State Police Command on the alleged defamation on penultimate Thursday.
It added that Comrade Sulaiman was illegally arrested without any prior invitation,adding that others that participated in the peaceful protest had been arrested since last week Wednesday by keeping them in the Police custody more than stipulated 24 to 48 hours without taking them to Court by turning the Oyo State Police Command to Court of law where they could decide to keep the authentic citizens of the country incommunicado as they want to satify the whims and caprices of their godfathers People Democratic Party (PDP) politicians in the cabinent of Governor Seyi Makinde.
Among the eighteen citizens arrested earlier were;
Alhaji Olaniyi Dauda Oye(+23460887495); Mallam Abdulhai Raufu(+2348037915080); Sodiq Olajire; Lekan Waheed; Taofeek Muritala; Mayowa Alalu; Dauda Babalola; Sunday Awosope; Olawuyi Musa; Olatinwo Babawale; Tijani Saheed; Olafisoye Afees Fashola; Idris Olujinmi; Ayobami Ajenikoko; Musibau Akande Oladepo and two(2) others.
Also,the rights group criticized the Oyo State Police Command
of trying to criminalize the peaceful protest embarked upon by the Nigeria citizens to make their home demands as stipulated by the sections 39 and 40 of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,adding that the Court had declared that the Nigeria citizens did not need permission of the Police to embark on a protest as contained in the case of IGP v ANPP(2007) AHRLR179.
The rights group,during their Tuesday night emergency ZOOM metting on the development which lead to the illegal arrest and detention of Comrade Sulaiman, they noted that the action of their leader and other eighteen (18) citizens of the State that participated in the said protest to express their dissatisfaction were in order and in line with the constitution governing the affairs of the country presently.
In a stetement signed by the CHRSJ’S Assistant Executive Secretary,Pastor Micheal Agaasi,after the ZOOM meeting and copies were made available to newsmen on the early hours of Wednesday,stated that the affected citizens including Sulaiman have done no wrong but they were exercising their fundamental human rights as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The statement quoted the Supreme Court jurists in respect of fundamental human rights that PA,NNAEMEKA,JSC(as he then was) in a book titled,the Role of Lawyers in the protection and Advancement or Human Rights:”The Human Rights are part of lex-lata of the particular state,they are such rights which the particular state has selected from a plethora of rights and given to the citizens and other persons within its frontiers made enforceable against the particular state or its agencies.”
Similarly, the eminent Jurist,KAYODE ESO,J.S.C.N.(as he then was), described Fundamental Human Rights thus, “It is a right which stands above ordinary Law of the land and which infact is antecedent to the political society itself…..it is a primary condition to a civilized society”.
The group equally condemned the continous illegal detention of the innocent citizens of the country for almost eight(8) days without charging them to Court for their release, shown the high level of police extral judicial power,alleging that an aide to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Seye Famojuro from Osun State was the person the Oyo State Commissioner of Police was taken order from to detain the affected citizens beyond the law stipulated hours.
The group further disclosed that they would originate a petition to the Inspector General of Police(IGP),Chairman,Police Service Commission(PSC),Police Affairs Council,Minister of Police Affairs,National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), Amnesty International(AI),Human Rights Watch(HRW) with other international human rights organizations to detail how the Oyo State Police Command under the present Commissioner of Police were taking directive from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) starwart to detain innocent protesters more than seven(7) days which was beyond the constitutional stipulated hours over protest.
Reacting further,describing the arrest as barbaric, unconstitutional, illegal,anathema,uncivilised,abomination,ungodly,anti-masses and crime against humanity and God.
They further described their detained leader as pro- democracy and civil rights activist of many years standing that learnt the art of human rights activism at the feat of late social crusader and legal luminary,Chief Gani Fawehinmi,SAN of blessed memory,adding that CHRSJ Chief has been in and out of prisons with Police custody defending the rights of his fellow citizens,particularly,during the Military era of Abacha in the course of fighting for restoration of democracy back to country which some elements were enjoying and using today to enrich their pocket at the detriment of the Nigeria masses and as well bastardized by alienating the masses in enjoying dividend of democracy.
The group said; “It is a shame and very unfortunate that the men of the Nigeria Police under the present Commissioner of Police in Oyo State,Mr. Ayodele Sonubi, have been the tool in the hand of Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to detain innocent Nigeria citizens for almost eight(8) days without trial and as well kept them incommunicado. This uncivilized act must be stopped in order to nurture our democracy to the height of the international best practices as always being propagated by the current Inspector General of Police,Dr. Kayode Egbetokun since he asssumed office”.
Supporting its position that using of the Nigeria Police to serve the private interest by hidding under the government interest is totally unacceptable to the Nigeria masses while the Police supposed to serve the public interest as contained in the Police act.
The group therefore called on the men of Oyo State Police Command to charge the arrested innocent citizens of Nigeria including their leader,Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman to Court without further delaying.
Signed:
Pastor Micheal Agaasi
Assistant General Secretary( CHRSJ),Nigeria
+2349018677671
