Leadership tussle: Police arraigns 4 members of Tipper Drivers Union in Ebonyi

 

By Onyinye Akonye

Abakaliki-Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday arraigned in court 4 members of the State Tipper Drivers Union over alleged unlawful gathering in the State.

Other charges brought against the 4 accused persons includes, breach of public peace, illegal protest against one Emeka Nwibo and members of his Caretaker Committee for the purpose of forcibly removing him from office of Tipper Driver Union Ebonyi State.

The 4 accused persons, Mr. Paul Nwogudu, Chukwuebuka Chukwu, Ebonyi Chukwudi and Ehiri Kelechi were arraigned in an Abakaliki Magistrate Court 3 Presided over by Blessing Chukwu Ibeabuchi on a 3 count charge.

According to the charge sheet, that you Paul Nwogudu 'M', Chukwuebuka Chukwu 'M', Ebonyi Chukwudi 'M', Ehiri Kelechi 'M' and others now at large on the 7th day of February 2021 at Isaiah Eze's block Industry behind Abakaliki Rice Mill in the Abakaliki Magistrate District did conspire amongst yourselves to commit misdemeanor to wit: unlawful assembly and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 517(A) of the Criminal Code Cap 33 Vol.1 laws of Ebonyi State of Nigeria 2009.

The Presiding Magistrate, Blessing Chukwu Ibeabuchi who granted the accused persons bail with the sum of N200, 000 each and one surety each or with like sum after they had pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

The Magistrate said that the surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court and thereafter adjoined the matter to 8th April 2021.

Meanwhile, there was a mild drama at the court as the court clerk and security personal at the Magistrate Court 3 barred journalists from covering the court proceeding.

Over 20 journalists had stormed the court to cover the proceeding following the tension generated by the arraignment as more than 30 tipper drivers as early as 8am were in court with their heavy duty vehicles.

The heavy duty vehicles which was parked along the Government House and Ebonyi State Judiciary complex axis of the Ogoja road caused both vehicular and human traffic along the major road.

The court clerk whose name could not be ascertain as at the time of filling in this report had alleged that some journalists were taking pictures of the suspects and thereafter ordered them out of the court. Ends

Tarfa gives DSS 48 hours to release 26 BDC operators

Onyinye Akonye

ABUJA - A human rights lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN), has given the Department of State Services 48 hours to either release the 26 Bureau de Change, BDC, operators in its custody or take them to court.

The senior advocate said this in a letter addressed to the Director-General of DSS, Yusuf Bichi Magaji, in Abuja.

Tarfa added that if the DSS failed to act, he would approach a court and demand for the enforcement of their fundamental human rights.

He said, “The Apex Court of Nigeria has, in a plethora of decided cases, frowned at the continued detention of citizens of this country unlawfully by security agents and their agencies without due recourse to the court and in violation of extent provisions of the Constitution. We, therefore, demand the immediate release of all our clients in your custody. This is without prejudice to the investigation that is being conducted by your establishment with respect to whatever reason they were arrested for.”

Tarfa noted that the 26 detainees - Adamu Ibrahim Naim, Inuwa Talle Danladi, Muhammadu Yahaya, Yahaya Saidu Ibrahim, Muhammad Ali Adam, Said Saidu Abdullahi, Surajo Adam Muhammad, Auwalu Ibrahim Fagge, Nura Tasiu, Muhammad Lawal Sani, Muhammad Abba Lawan, Bashir Ali, Abdullahi Umar Usman, Hassan Idris, Nura Gani, Babangida Ali, Abubakar Yellow, Baba Usaini, Sani Maiwaya, Abdulrahman Kokawa, Garzali Yusuf, Ibrahim Shaking, Auwalu Ali, Munzali Ali, Mallam Abdulazeez, and Auwalu Gambo - who are all members of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, ABCON, Northwest chapter, were invited from Kano, Sokoto, Yola, Minna and Lagos for questioning by the DSS in Abuja on the 9th, 12th, and 14th of March, 2021; adding that they have been held incommunicado since then.

Tarfa, therefore, described their arrest by the DSS, without any arraignment before a court, as illegal.

He added, “None of their family members have had access to them. Some of the arrested individuals have underlying health challenges which require regular medical attention which they have not access to since the dates of their arrests by your establishment.

“At this juncture, it is important to state equivocally that the continued detention of our clients without arraigning them before a Court of Competent jurisdiction for an offense known to law is a clear breach and a violation of their fundamental human rights."

The lawyer also said by neither charging the detained BDC operators to Court nor releasing them on administrative bail, the DSS violated section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which provides that the security agencies may not detain any suspect for longer than 48 hours without a valid court order.

Tension in Abiriba as unknown gunmen kill three police

 

                                            Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Abia

By Onyinye Akonye

There is tension in Abiriba Comunity, Ohafia Council Area of Abia State as unknown gunmen reportedly killed three police officers attached to the Abia State Command of the Nigeria Police.

The slained police officers in cold blood were identified as Inspector Austin Ugwu, Inspector Longinus Ugochukwu and PC Ama Ifeanyi.

According to the Nation newspaper correspondent, the police officers serving at the Abiriba police Division who arrived Agu Eze Amaogudu community in Abiriba, at about 8.30am on Monday were ambushed by the hoodlums who killed the police officers and carted away two of their riffles.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Rt Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu, who was at the Abiriba Community on the heels of the incident, assured that the state government will deploy all necessary resources available to it to ensure the protection of the people and all law-abiding citizens.

Speaking to the people at Orie Akwa square in the community, Chukwu who was accompanied on the visit by the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. John Okiyi-Kalu, called for community vigilance and support to security agents to ensure that the perpetrators are quickly identified and brought to justice.

He said, “The government is saddened by the unfortunate attack of this morning which led to the loss of lives of police officers at Agu Eze checkpoint and my boss, Governor Ikpeazu on receiving the news asked me to come here and assure you that we will do everything possible to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act and protect Ndi Abiriba and all law-abiding people in the state.”