Nigeria berated for arresting citizens without trial

Posted by admin | 9 years ago | 3,306 times



Outspoken Igbo leader, Bright Ezeocha has stated that the case of arrest and detention without trial of Benjamin Onwuka and his colleagues, has exposed the Nigerian state as running a very crude environment.

Ezeocha, President of Nigerian Youths Movement (NYM) told Factnews that the handling of the arrest of Onwuka and his members of Biafran Zionist Movement (BZM) by the Police showed that Nigeria was not running a democracy, but a Police state.

Ezeocha said: " I am worried that in a civilized world, there is a country that is still behaving like this; that in this 21st century, people can be arrested and detained without trial for months. What image are we projecting to the outside world about ourselves?"

He wondered why Nigerian government has refused to run the country like a modern state. he added that it was as a result of such attitude that the country is now suffering the insurrection of Boko Haram.

"I asked myself a question, is this supposed to be a democratic government? Is this a civilized society? Are we living in a civilized society? Are we learning anything from the past? This was how they killed Mohammed Yusuf, leader of Boko Haram, and this is what led to the Boko Haram killlings we have today. I am surprised that after many months, this man is still languishing in captivity without trial"

He said Nigerian government had exposed the country and Africa to ridicule by their action, because when he got to the office of Amnesty International in London, that the people we were laughing and mocking the country as they discussed the issue.

"They were laughing because they were surprised that in a civilized world; in a 21 century world, somebody could be arrested 72 hours after he was not arraigned before a competent court of jurisdiction and has not even appeared before any judge. It is very unfortunate" he said.

Turning to Igbo leaders, he said it was wrong that they did not make any effort to see that the fundamental right of the man was protected. "I asked myself a question, is this supposed to be a democratic government? Is this a civilized society? Are we living in a civilized society? Are we learning anything from the past? This was how they killed Mohammed Yusuf, leader of Boko Haram, and this is what led to the Boko Haram killlings we have today. I am surprised that after many months, this man is still languishing in captivity without trial" he said.


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