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A pro-democracy and non-governmental body – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS
ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the reported siege by armed
police operatives of the government house in Ekiti State and the reported
attack of the governor and his deputy.
HURIWA has also condemned as unconstitutional the reported invasion of
armed police operatives of the campaign office of the governorship
candidate of Ekiti state Professor Olushola Kolapo and the disruption of
the campaign rally of the People’s Democratic Party. The Rights has
therefore expressed consternation that men and officers of the Niferia
police force beginning from the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Kpodum
Idriss have become members of the armed wing of the All progressives
congress.
Besides, HURIWA has cautioned the armed security forces to respect the
rule of law and abide by the statutory demands of their duties to the
people of Ekiti State and halt any further attempts to employ
intimidation, harassment and psychological torture all in an attempt to
scuttle a free, fair, transparent and peaceful conduct of the governorship
poll scheduled for this Saturday July 14th 2018 in Ekiti State.
HURIWA described the physical attacks on the persons of the governor and
his deputy by the armed police as an ‘assassination attempt’ and has
called for a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate this grave
crime and bring the perpetrators and their political sponsors to book.
HURIWA in a statement by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel
Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director miss Zainab Yusuf stated
that:
“We have just been alerted by our members in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State of the
unusual large numbers of armed security forces parading the streets of
Ekiti State just few days to the much anticipated governorship poll in
which the Presidency has openly declared her determination to win by all
means. We were also informed of a reported siege of the Ekiti State
government house by armed police and the direct physical torture by the
police of the duo of the Ekiti state governor and his deputy in cleat
violation of section 308(1).
We view the attempt on the lives of these two gentlemen as serious crimes
that must not be swept under the carpets.
We absolutely condemn this primitive resort to self-help by the presidency
that has decided to unleash brute force on the people of Ekiti State so as
to manipulate the electoral process to favour his political party (APC)
and to deny the electorate their constitutional right to elect their own
governor that will promote and protect their general interests.”
Citing section 39 (1) and 40 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, HURIWA said it was unlawful and unconstitutional for
armed police to invade the government house in Ekiti on the instruction of
the Inspector General of Police to inhibit and violate with reckless
abandon and crass impunity, the enjoyment by the people of their freedom
of movement and association which are guaranteed under several
international human rights laws and the supreme law of Nigeria which is in
the 1999 Constitution that have unambiguous and binding human rights
provisions in chapter 4″.
“The attack on the governor and his deputy shoyld be considered attempted
murder and the culprits must be arrested, prosecuted and sanctioned in the
competent courts of law. The police which is a creation of a statute is
not above the law.”
Specifically, section 39 (1) provides that “Every person shall be entitled
to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and receive
and impart ideas and information without interference, “even as section 40
provides that “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and to
associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to
any political party, trade union or any other association for the
protection of his interests.”
HURIWA believes that it is criminal for armed police maintained at public
costs to become slaves to some forces and to be employed in Ekiti State to
curtail the constitutional rights of the citizenry.
HURIWA said by virtue of several constitutional provisions must operate
with the invitation of the State governor who is the Chief security
officer of the State just as the Rights group faulted the decision of the
President to deploy the police to achieve pre-determined political goal.
HURIWA stated that Section 215 (2) (3) (4) (5) stated thus: (2) “The
Nigeria police force shall be under the command of the Inspector-General
of Police and any contingents of the Nigeria Police Force stationed in a
State shall, subject to the authority of the Inspector-General of police,
be under the command of the commissioner of Police of that State. (3) “The
President or such other Minister of the Government of the Federation as he
may authorize in that behalf may give to the Inspector-General of Police
such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of
public safety and public order as he may consider necessary, and the
Inspector-General of Police shall comply with those directions or cause
them to be compiled with.” (4) “Subject to the provisions of this section,
the Governor of a state or such commissioner of the Government of the
State as he authorize in that behalf, may give to the Commissioner of
police of that state such lawful directions with respect to the
maintenance and securing of public safety and public order within the
State as he may consider necessary, and the commissioner of police shall
comply with those directions or cause them to be complied with – provided
that before carrying out any such directions under the foregoing
provisions of this subsection the commissioner of police may request that
the matter be referred to the President or such minister of the Government
of the Federation as may be authorized in that behalf by the President for
this directions.”