Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has decried the indiscriminate
arrest and continued detention of former Governors of Benue and Niger
States, Mr Gabriel Suswan and Dr Babangida Aliyu as well the National
coordinator of Peoples Democratic Party National Youth Frontier
(PDPNYF), Comrade Austin Usman Okai, describing their continued
detention as further demonstration of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) government regime of vindictiveness and disrespect for the laws
of Nigeria.
The governor said there was no law permitting security agents to
detain Nigerians indefinitely, adding that; “It is even more worrisome
that former Governor Suswan has been in detention since February 26
this year and Austin Okai, who was arrested in Abuja last Sunday, was
arraigned in Lokoja Magistrate Court yesterday (Thursday), granted
bail and rearrested at the court premises by the same police that
charged him to court.”
In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Friday, and signed by Special
Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere
Olayinka, he lamented that “those holding power in Abuja have become
defiant to reasons, operating as if they are laws onto themselves.”
The governor noted that; “Arresting people without proper and thorough
investigation is the reason EFCC continues lose its cases. How can you
arrest someone, put him in detention and start looking for evidence to
prosecute him?
He said; “On Wednesday, the Department of State Services (DSS) came up
with the most ridiculous reason for keeping Suswan in detention since
February. The service said it would not release the former governor
because he has failed to cooperate with investigators. The question
is; what cooperation does the DSS need from someone that will require
him being kept in detention for close to two months without charging
him to court?
“One may also ask; is the DSS also keeping the head of Nigeria’s
Islamic Movement (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention
since late 2015 despite that the court ruled that he should be
released in custody because he refused to cooperate with
investigators?
“Are we back to the era of Decree 2 of 1984 when the National Security
Organisation (NSO) had powers to arrest and detain Nigerians
indefinitely?
“Also, for what lawful reason would the Police charge Austin Okai to
court and rearrest him at the court premises after he was granted
bail? Isn’t the brutish use of power by these APC elements getting too
much?”
On the continued detention Dr Babangida Aliyu, Governor Fayose said;
“Investigating allegations of corruption does not empower the EFCC or
any security agency to detain any Nigeria indefinitely without trial.
“Most importantly, it is assumed that before anyone can be arrested
for alleged corruption, the EFCC ought to have done its job by
gathering necessary facts. This practice of EFCC arresting Nigerians,
detaining them indefinitely so that they can give indicting evidences
against themselves is alien to crime investigation in civilised world.
“Therefore, if EFCC has any evidence of corruption against Dr
Babangida Aliyu, the commission should simply charge him to court and
use the evidence(s) to prosecute him. In the absence of this, he
should be released forthwith; else one will also believe the
insinuation that the EFCC is holding him (Babangida) as part of the
APC-led Federal Government clampdown on anyone that is perceived as
having presidential ambition in 2019.”