Posted by By IKENNA EMEWU on
There are many offences not known to the law in Nigeria, but they surely exist. One of such is watching and playing football, especially if it involves people labelled dissidents that are not worthy of any fundamental human rights in Nigeria.
There are many offences not known to the law in Nigeria, but they surely exist. One of such is watching and playing football, especially if it involves people labelled dissidents that are not worthy of any fundamental human rights in Nigeria. People in this group include members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
That is the reason policemen arrested over 70 MASSOB members in Lagos on September 11, 2004, and has detained them till now you are reading this story. However, some of the arrested persons were released, but 53 of them are still languishing in detention, and this includes a pregnant woman, and the figure excludes her unborn baby or babies. Their offence is simply ‘treasonable felony'. For what, you may ask? For playing and watching football match tagged Uwazuruike Cup. Because the match is named after MASSOB leader the game is treasonable according to police.
Tearing down the state with bulging tummy
It could suffice to conclude that the pregnant woman, who should deserve tender treatment for bearing the burden of a future Nigerian, must have incurred the wrath of the police because they could have suspected that what made her tummy bulgy is armaments she swallowed and intends to unleash at Aso Rock and other vital places in Nigeria.
Her intention for coming to the pitch either to sell her pure water or watch the Uwazuruike match might have been to detonate the bombs in her big tummy so that Nigeria could tear in pieces. The police was smart and alert, and had to arrest her, as good patriots. However, Mrs. Gloria Mokwe, after these five months has not vomitted or passed out any of the bombs in her. Now her lawyer and family say Gloria's big tummy is occupied by a human being, just the same way the policemen some day did in their mothers' tummy.
And a minor too
If the mindset of the Police over pregnant Mrs. Gloria would baffle you, you would rather hold your breath on hearing that a minor, Chioma Agu, number 16 in the list of the accused persons, who is coincidentally 16 years old is also there in Ikoyi Prisons as a treasonable felon. Chioma was arrested the same venue on the same day. She is now being criminalised and denied freedom. According Saturday Sun findings, the police inflated the age of the minor to 18 to justify her incarceration.
Her school in the Ojo area of Lagos has refused to enroll her for the SSCE exams in absentia, irrespective of the persuasion of the parents. The poor teenager is now facing a stalled trial for planning to cut the state in pieces through her ‘criminal and despicable' act of football watching. As Chioma's age was inflated, so was that of a 72-year-old grandfather reduced to about 40 to make sure the detention sails through. The grandfather, Pa Stephen Solomon, as at Wednesday when their lawyer visited him at the Ikoyi Prisons had serious swelling on both legs that is said to be likely threatening his life, while another has been battling at the brink of death.
Treason charge
When these persons were arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate's Court on October 28, 2004, there were two counts levelled against them. One of the charges said ‘that you Sunday Nwaibe ‘m' and fifty-two others mentioned above on the 11th day of September, 2004 in Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire among yourselves to commit felon to wit: treasonable felony and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990".
Their second offence is that ‘at the aforementioned time and place' they 'did form an intention to levy war against Nigeria in order by force or constraint to compel the President as Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to change his measures or counsels and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 41(c) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990'. But the police later on September 17, before they were properly arraigned, (that is when they were just brought before the court for the sake of it), the Police from Panti, Yaba which arrested them filed a counter information asking the court to hands-off because it lacks jurisdiction to try a charge of treason.
Above the law
The twists in the case show that the Police at Panti are now above the law or there is an Abuja interest in the matter. When counsel to the accused persons, Mr. Chinedu Nwosu waited in vain for the release of his clients, he went to the Federal High Court to seek their freedom. This paid off as he got an order from Justice Marcel Awokulehin, of the Oputa Panel fame who ordered the 'unconditional" release of the accused persons if the Inspector-General of Police and the Federal Attorney-General don't prepare charges and properly arraign these 53 persons within four days. The order made on December 23, 2004 has been made nonsense of. The Police in Panti has neither released nor charged these MASSOB men, and pregnant woman before the proper court for trial.
Further push, further
lawlessness
Because the Police remained adamant to this court order, Mr. Nwosu,s through his Chambers, Ikewuaku, Asodike & Co. on December 27, 2004 petitioned the office of the Inspector-General through the Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs, Alagbon, asking the police to comply with the court order. Mr. Nwosu said the officer in charge acted on the letter and sent a letter immediately to Panti for the release according to the court order. When the letter was dispatched, Panti remembered its old tricks about the matter, and at last refused to act on the order, with the excuse that they need to get clearance from the office of the Federal Attorney-General.
Sick and dying
One of the detainees, Mr. Obiora Nwoye, according to medical reports from a hospital in Ojo, Lagos is sick and dying. The medical report dated September 22, 2004 has the tone of a plea that Nwoye should be accorded assistance. It pleaded that 'Obiora Nwoye, 32 years/male 'is registered with and undertaking treatment in our hospital since July 15, 2003. Clinical and laboratory investigation confirm that he has peptic ulcer at the compensated stage of cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscles) His health condition can be serious and worsened by stress and starvation. Kindly assist him".
The Gambian batch
As if not enough, six MASSOB activists allegedly detained in Gambia for three months for granting a Radio interview where they voiced out support for the movement were last year repatriated to Nigeria to face treason charges. The six men were flown into Nigeria on December 4, 2004 and detained at the Adeniji Adele Police Station through the Interpol. They are said to have been moved to Area 10, Garki detention cell on December 11, while their case is being handled by DCP Amusan Bello, a prominent officer.