Friday 14 April 2017

Detention without trial: Makarfi’s PDP blasts FG




THE National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressive Congress (APC) led federal government of vendetta from the way it has continued to arrest and detain its members for long periods without trial.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye, in Abuja on Thursday, the PDP NCC accused that the APC of turning Nigeria into a “Gestapo State.”
It therefore alerted Nigerians that the country is fast drifting into a dictatorship and possible anarchy under the APC government.
The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led NCC pointed out that prominent leaders and citizens of the country especially, the governors, ministers and other public office holders during the previous PDP administration “have been arrested in a Gestapo manner and detained indefinitely without trial. Absurd!”
It added: “For instance, the Former Governor of Benue State, Rt Hon Gabriel Suswam was arrested by men of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) and has been in detention for over two months now without trial.
“Also, the Former Governor of Niger State, Dr Babangida Aliyu was arrested on April 5, 2017 by officers of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and like the others, he has been in detention and yet no case has been filed against him in any court by the Anti-graft Agency.
“Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki has been in custody for about two (2) years now without trial. Similar brutality, arrest and mindless detention went on with other PDP leaders and members that were arrested by either the DSS or the EFCC.
“It is no gainsaying that under the present APC led Government; the agencies arrest suspects, convict them in the media and detain them against the Law before they are proven innocent or otherwise by the Court.
“It is also very clear in the Constitution of Nigeria that no security agency has the right or power to detain suspects more than 48 hours without trial.
“Ironically, while former leaders and members of PDP are being arrested indiscriminately and detained without trial; other former office holders of the Ruling APC  who have been accused of various corrupt practices are yet to be arrested but instead are compensated with juicy ministerial appointments. Double standard!”
The party reminded the APC government that Nigeria is a constitutional democracy “and as such, the present APC Administration must lead by example and obey Court Orders.
“It is on record that most of these suspects have been granted bail by the Courts of the Land and the ECOWAS Court in the Case of Col Sambo Dasuki. This is sheer lawlessness!”
The NCC assured the public that while the PDP is not against the anti-corruption fight, it’s stance is that the present APC Government must follow due process in dealing with issues of corruption as the PDP did during its governments without violating human rights of citizens especially, those suspects that may later be found innocent by the Law Court.
The party further stated: “In this context, the actions of this APC administration is a clear case of injustice and vendetta.”
It called on the ruling government to charge all those in detention to court as a matter of urgency while those granted bail by the courts must be freed immediately.
“As a law abiding Party, we shall deploy all constitutional means both domestically and internationally to seek redress on this Gestapo Rule,” the PDP NCC declared.
It admonished the APC to understand that “by now that
Nigerians are fed up with this undemocratic rule” also advised government to stop forthwith, all actions that tend to heat up the system and push citizens into taking extreme measures in self-defence.
“The economic hardship brought upon Nigerians by APC misrule is bad enough, abridging the people’s rights on top of that is like adding salt to injury,” the statement added.








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