A chieftain of the PDP, Timi Frank has urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, to release without further delay, the spokesman of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, from illegal arrest and detention.
Comrade Timi Frank, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the call on Saturday in a statement he personally endorsed following condition given by the police authorities that a permanent secretary should stand as surety for the political activist.
Frank said the police boss knew that no serving Permanent Secretary will be bold enough to stand for an opposition leader, hence the police authority should reconsider its stand.
Frank noted that in May, a Federal High Court in Abuja, in a suit labelled, FHC/ABJ/CS/475/2020, barred the House committee from continuing with the hearing of the case against Ugochinyere.
But despite the court order, police went ahead arrest and detained the opposition spokesperson.
Comrade Timi Frank condemned the arrest of the CUPP’s spokesman, alleging that the police authority had violated the law by arresting Ugochinyere despite a valid order of court barring such action by police.
The political activist however demanded an unconditional and immediate release of the opposition voice, Ugochinyere.
According to Frank, the police is a Nigerian Police Force and not the National Assembly or APC Police Force, hence the IGP should obey the court order.
“I call on the @PoliceNG to urgently review the bail condition given to Ikenga, and respect the court order restraining the police from arresting him. This is an attempt to silence the voice of the opposition. If the APC National Assembly leadership doesn’t have anything to hide, then they should go to Court,” Frank said.
While he reminded the IGP of need for professional conduct of his men in dealing with citizens, he threatened that should the IGP continue to disregard the rule of law and valid order of court in the case of Ikenga Ugochinyere he will be left with no option than to report Inspector General of Police to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and also ask that a visa ban should be placed on him.
“I also demand that the police authority should tender a public apology for this illegal arrest.”
Leave a Reply