Posted by By Ike Nnamdi, reporting from Washington DC on
America is demanding the immediate release of former Abia State governor, Chief Orji Uzo Kalu, describing his arrest as "inconsistent with the rule of law".
• Amnesty International condemns clampdown
America is demanding the immediate release of former Abia State governor, Chief Orji Uzo Kalu, describing his arrest as "inconsistent with the rule of law".
A top official of the State Department weekend said the EFCC should abide by an existing court order against the arrest of Kalu.
"It is our understanding that Mr. Orji Kalu is covered by an order from a court of competent jurisdiction, the EFCC as a creation of the law should not been seen as breaking the law," he stated, hinting that the position of the American government will be formally communicated to the Nigerian authorities this week.
The official said Washington was taken aback by the arrest of the former governor who was in United States last week.
In the same vein, a senior official of the Bush administration said: "We had fruitful discussions with him on how to move Nigerian forward and he canvassed support for the administration of President Umaru Yar'Adua. It is a shock the same government is trampling on a court order."
There were indications that Kalu, who has many friends in the top echelons of the Bush administration, may have had a premonition of his present ordeal.
Continued the official: "He told us of threat to arrest him once he returns home and we are concerned that this is not the beginning of another clampdown on opposition figures.
"If the authorities have enough evidence against him, they should make it public and we wil not support an extended detention of Mr. Kalu under the cover of claims of more investigation into the case. Investigations should have been concluded before anyone is arrested."
Meantime, human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has called for the release of the former Abia governor and other detainees.
"It is not in the interest of the government to begin its tenure by locking up people who are known critics of the process through which it came to power," its official in Washington said.