From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The member representing Bassa LGA in Kogi state House of Assembly and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in Saturday Assembly election, Sunday Shigaba has condemned the arbitrary arrest and detention of PDP chairman in Bassa by the officers of SARS at Oguma, the headquarters of the local government yesterday.
He also called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, the Deputy Inspector General of police (DIG) in charge of elections for Kwara and Kogi, Godwin Nwobodo and Commissioner of Police, Hameed Busari to ensure unconditional release of the PDP chairman.
The lawmaker decried the arbitrary arrest of the party chairman for holding meeting with his members on how best to participate in the election.
Shigaba while addressing Journalists in Lokoja, Wednesday charged the Nigeria Police not to allow itself to be used by the ruling party against the members of the opposition parties who are adopting strategies to win support for their parties .
He stated that the recent clampdown on his members by the police on trump up and frivolous charges in an election period portend dangers for the nascent democracy.
According to him ” The chairman and the stakeholders were holding meeting in my residence at Oguma as a sitting member of the state House of Assembly and a candidate in the forthcoming House of Assembly election. The police invaded my House even while I was away and took the duo and clamped them in detention when election is only a few days away.
“The CP had called the party chairmen and stalwarts to Lokoja to brainstorm on ways to have a violent free elections and as a take away, he called his members to ensure the same standard used in the last elections that was peaceful across the LGA. It was while the meeting was going on that the men of SARS armed to the teeth stormed the venue and whisked them away. As I am talking they were still being detained on frivolous charges. Even the officers testified to their innocence contrary to the alleged information given to them.
” This indiscriminate arrest of opposition members at this critical election time negate the essence of Democracy which conferred rights of Association on members of the society and if the police continue to do the bidding of the ruling party then they themselves are the one preaching violence.
