The Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, has written a protest letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over the arrest of one Mr. Kingsley Joseph, by officers of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID).
According to IYC, the unlawful arrest was led by one Inspector Bonze Palasou on February 8, 2021, alongside one Chief Jack Angila from Ezetu town in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
In a statement issued to journalists from his Yenagoa office, the spokesperson for the IYC, Ebilade Ekerefe, said since Kingsley was arrested, he had been denied access to his family members, friends, and even his solicitor.
Ekerefe described the situation as worrisome, saying the available intelligence report shows that Kingsley has been shackled in handcuffs and irons, subjected to dehumanising conditions.
The IYC further said up to date, the alleged officers of the FCIID had deliberately refused to allow his lawyer to have access to him nor stated the crime for which he was arrested.
The IYC said, “It is pertinent to note that our laws, particularly section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, entitles everybody to a fair hearing no matter the gravity of the offense committed.
“The Council is further informed that Mr. Kingsley is being moved from one detention centre to another. He was first detained at the Area Command cell, Opolo, and later moved to Azikoro Town Police Station in Yenagoa and now taken to an unknown location in Warri, Delta State.
“This is a case of gross violation of his fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The Ijaw Youths Council frowns vehemently on this naked violation of Mr. Kingsley’s rights and admonishes the police command to desist from such unethical and illegal actions capable of replaying the recent mass actions arising from these condemned acts of the Nigerian police.
“While we applaud the continuous discharge of their obligations as security personnel, such actions must be guided and within the ambit of the law. Anything done in gross violation will only lead to unforeseen and unpredictable reactions by the citizenry.”
Ekerefe, therefore, called on Adamu to intervene immediately to ensure the immediate release of “this illustrious son of an Ijaw nation, and allow the due process to be followed strictly”.
He warned that given the volatile nature of the Niger Delta region, it would be unwise to act in a way capable of thwarting the fragile peace already existing in the region.
