The Police in Abuja on Monday invited for questioning Chidi Odinkalu,
lawyer and human rights activist, in connection with a petition issued
by the Kaduna State government over allegations of inciting public
disturbance, among other charges.
The invitation was in connection with statements purportedly made by
Odinkalu during an interview with a television station early in the year
in which he questioned claims made by Kaduna State governor Nasir el
Rufai that 66 persons were killed in the Kajuru crisis in the state.
Apparently, the Kaduna State government, through its Attorney General,
Umma Hakima, had on April 4 petitioned the Inspector General of Police,
IGP, transmitting the order of a Kaduna Magistrate Court to causing an
investigation into some charges brought against Odinkalu by the Kaduna
State government.
It was learnt that the government had applied, through an exparte
application, that the Magistrate Court presided over by Hon Ibrahim
Musa, order that the charges brought against the respondent be
investigated by the police.
Specifically, the underlying allegation contained in the ex-parte
application dated March 28, 2019, is that in a television interview on
16 February, Odinkalu stated:
“I keep coming back to this Kajuru story because we must never allow
that story to get away. 66 Nigerians killed; that’s 66 too many. If
anybody claims that 66 people were killed in Kajuru this week, including
the Governor of Kaduna State, let us go and verify. I’m not willing to
allow that story to go away. It is not true.”
According to the application by the state government, reinforced in its
petition to the IGP, by making this statement Odinkalu committed the
following offences:
“Furnishing false information punishable under s. 104 of the Penal Code,
Laws of Kaduna State 2017;
injurious falsehood, punishable under s. 373 of the Penal Code, Laws of
Kaduna State 2017;
public nuisance, punishable under s. 150 of the Penal Code, Laws of
Kaduna State 2017; and
inciting disturbance, punishable under s. 77 of the Penal Code, Laws of
Kaduna State 2017.
Odinkalu, who noted that he arrived at the Federal Criminal
Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja around 3.30pm, said he was asked
to write a statement based on the allegation and that he denied all of
them.
“I was asked to make a statement on the stationery of the Police under
caution. I did. My statement essentially affirmed my name, occupation
and identity. I also affirmed the words stated above as mine but denied
clearly that I had any intention to or was indeed capable of or had
committed any of the offences alleged.
“In particular, I did say that in the circumstances of the facts, the
conduct of the Governor of Kaduna State appeared to have been designed
to preclude the Nigeria Police Force from doing its lawful duties of
investigating or verifying his allegations.”
He said he was hearing of the case against him at the Magistrate Court
for the first time during the police questioning although the
Magistrate, from the document he was shown, made the order since March
22.
Odinkalu has since been let go by the Police although he had to be
granted bail on self-recognition and can be invited on the matter again.