The Police in Abuja on Monday invited for questioning Chidi Odinkalu,
\nlawyer and human rights activist, in connection with a petition issued
\nby the Kaduna State government over allegations of inciting public
\ndisturbance, among other charges.<\/p>\n
The invitation was in connection with statements purportedly made by
\nOdinkalu during an interview with a television station early in the year
\nin which he questioned claims made by Kaduna State governor Nasir el
\nRufai that 66 persons were killed in the Kajuru crisis in the state.<\/p>\n
Apparently, the Kaduna State government, through its Attorney General,
\nUmma Hakima, had on April 4 petitioned the Inspector General of Police,
\nIGP, transmitting the order of a Kaduna Magistrate Court to causing an
\ninvestigation into some charges brought against Odinkalu by the Kaduna
\nState government.<\/p>\n
It was learnt that the government had applied, through an exparte
\napplication, that the Magistrate Court presided over by Hon Ibrahim
\nMusa, order that the charges brought against the respondent be
\ninvestigated by the police.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the underlying allegation contained in the ex-parte
\napplication dated March 28, 2019, is that in a television interview on
\n16 February, Odinkalu stated:<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep coming back to this Kajuru story because we must never allow
\nthat story to get away. 66 Nigerians killed; that\u2019s 66 too many. If
\nanybody claims that 66 people were killed in Kajuru this week, including
\nthe Governor of Kaduna State, let us go and verify. I\u2019m not willing to
\nallow that story to go away. It is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the application by the state government, reinforced in its
\npetition to the IGP, by making this statement Odinkalu committed the
\nfollowing offences:<\/p>\n
\u201cFurnishing false information punishable under s. 104 of the Penal Code,
\nLaws of Kaduna State 2017;<\/p>\n
injurious falsehood, punishable under s. 373 of the Penal Code, Laws of
\nKaduna State 2017;<\/p>\n
public nuisance, punishable under s. 150 of the Penal Code, Laws of
\nKaduna State 2017; and<\/p>\n
inciting disturbance, punishable under s. 77 of the Penal Code, Laws of
\nKaduna State 2017.<\/p>\n
Odinkalu, who noted that he arrived at the Federal Criminal
\nInvestigation Department, FCID, Abuja around 3.30pm, said he was asked
\nto write a statement based on the allegation and that he denied all of
\nthem.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was asked to make a statement on the stationery of the Police under
\ncaution. I did. My statement essentially affirmed my name, occupation
\nand identity. I also affirmed the words stated above as mine but denied
\nclearly that I had any intention to or was indeed capable of or had
\ncommitted any of the offences alleged.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn particular, I did say that in the circumstances of the facts, the
\nconduct of the Governor of Kaduna State appeared to have been designed
\nto preclude the Nigeria Police Force from doing its lawful duties of
\ninvestigating or verifying his allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he was hearing of the case against him at the Magistrate Court
\nfor the first time during the police questioning although the
\nMagistrate, from the document he was shown, made the order since March
\n22.<\/p>\n
Odinkalu has since been let go by the Police although he had to be
\ngranted bail on self-recognition and can be invited on the matter again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n