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One dangerous and persistent aspect of Nigerian experience remains the abusive use of the prosecutorial powers of the state. By this, we refer to all instances where government officials fabricate a crime and put an opponent of government through a sham trial. Not only can such sham trial put the innocent man through a great deal of pain and suffering, it can lead to his death. That was the case of Ken Saro Wiwa and eight others. Selective and politically motivated criminal investigations and prosecutions pose the worst threats to rule of law, political stability and development of a country. Increasingly, Nigerian law enforcement agencies, particularly, the EFCC, the police and DSS, have used false, retaliatory, and persecutory prosecutions to go after critics of government or government policies or critics of corruption in law enforcement. To understand how the world views politically motivated prosecutions, let's examine what is going in the United States over the impeachment inquiries against President Trump. In the impeachment testimony of Senior State Department Official, George Kent, Mr. Kent said: ​“I do not believe the US should ask other countries to engage in politically associated investigations and prosecutions.… As a general principle, I don’t think that as a matter of policy the US should do that, period, because I have spent much of my career trying to improve the rule of law. And in countries like Ukraine and Georgia, both of which want to join NATO, both of which have enjoyed billions of dollars of assistance from Congress, there is an outstanding issue about people in office in those countries using selectively politically motivated prosecutions to go after their opponents. And that’s wrong for the rule of law regardless of what country that happens," Politically motivated prosecutions are a big threat to rule of law. Civilized nations oppose it so much that they are willing to remove a president who tries it. Why can't Nigeria learn? Why can't we learn from Ken Saro Wiwa? Why try the same wicked and discredited practice against Emeka Ugwuonye and many more? We must find ways to hold responsible those who do this. No matter how long it takes, we need to go after them and hold them accountable. Thank God, an arrest warrant just got issued against Campore for the killing of Sankara. It means we can still go after people for crimes committed 40 years ago.

Why is Justice Abang the preferred judge for the Federal Government? Is it by coincidence that where there is a critical government interest in a case, Justice Abang will be the man to deliver for the government? In Olisa Metuh's case, it is Justice Abang. In Maina's case, it is Justice Abang. And now, the embattled Inspector General of Police, Mr. Adamu, is openly calling for Justice Abang to be the one to handle a case involving his office. The most striking anomaly is not the fact that Abang is the government sought-after judge, but it is remarkable the uncharacteristic personal interest, passion and emotions with which Justice Abang goes after these cases. On October 30, 2019, Justice Abang shocked everybody in his court when he told Maina, who was in the witness box in his court, to stop looking at him. When he was in the Lagos division, Abang was known as a fair and hardworking judge. But in Abuja, he seems to have become a different kind of judge. It is right to wonder what happened to him. Is he being blackmailed by the government?

More detailed information has reached DPA News on the dramatic details of how Abattoir inmates were moved on Monday and Tuesday from Abattoir police detention to Kuje and other prisons. Since 10th October 2019, DPA has sent two petitions to the National Assembly, the Presidency, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the United States and British Governments, the Inspector General of Police, etc, alerting them of gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigerian police at Abattoir detention center. DPA petition demanded  for hearings and investigations into these atrocities and closure of Abattoir. The existence of Abattoir and the atrocities committed there came to light after a police officer, James Idachaba, unlawfully detained Emeka Ugwuonye on July 6, 2018 at Abattoir. That decision to detain Emeka Ugwuonye, Founder of DPA, turned out to be a fateful event. Upon discovering the atrocities, Ugwuonye made it the mission of DPA to expose Abattoir to the world and to free thousands of Nigerian citizens detained there in slave-like conditions. Abattoir, which turned out to be billions of naira racket from which police officers like Mr. Bala Ciroma, the current Police Commissioner for Abuja, and Mr. James Idachaba unlawfully enriched themselves. These two butchers of Abattoir conspired to silence Emeka Ugwuonye by fabricating false murder charges which led to unjust detention of Emeka Ugwuonye by Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi under questionable legal circumstances. The detention of Emeka Ugwuonye did not deter DPA from pursuing the mission of closing down the Abattoir detention center. This effort began to bear fruits from multiple branches when last two weeks the Chief Judge of FCT Abuja and the Chief Magistrate of Abuja decided to pay a scheduled visit to Abattoir. As usual, early in the morning of the scheduled visit, the policemen went to the Abattoir cells and moved hundreds of inmates and hid them. By the time the Chief Judge and Magistrate arrived, the detention cells looked empty. But one of the few inmates that were left behind had the courage to inform the Chief Judge and Chief Magistrate that the inmates were hidden from them. The Chief Judge and Chief Magistrate then decided to pay unscheduled visit to Abattoir. On Monday, 4th October, 2019, the Chief magistrate arrived Abattoir early in the morning with his staff unannounced and the police were taken unawares. The Chief Magistrate could not believe what he saw. The Chief Magistrate issued hundreds of warrants for the inmates to be remanded in prison and to be charged to Court. That led to the moving of the inmates on Monday evening to Kuje and other prisons. This event was acknowledged by several eyewitnesses. (See the screenshot below).   The efforts of the Chief Magistrate coincided with the effort of the IGP office to decongest Abattoir in anticipation of the public attention which DPA has brought to bear on the scandalous activities going on at Abattoir.   This is an unfolding event and further updates shall be provided. Stay tuned to DPA News.

More detailed information has reached DPA News on the dramatic details of how Abattoir inmates were moved on Monday and Tuesday from Abattoir police detention to Kuje and other prisons. Since 10th October 2019, DPA has sent two petitions to the National Assembly, the Presidency, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the United States and British Governments, the Inspector General of Police, etc, alerting them of gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigerian police at Abattoir detention center. DPA petition demanded  for hearings and investigations into these atrocities and closure of Abattoir. The existence of Abattoir and the atrocities committed there came to light after a police officer, James Idachaba, unlawfully detained Emeka Ugwuonye on July 6, 2018 at Abattoir. That decision to detain Emeka Ugwuonye, Founder of DPA, turned out to be a fateful event. Upon discovering the atrocities, Ugwuonye made it the mission of DPA to expose Abattoir to the world and to free thousands of Nigerian citizens detained there in slave-like conditions. Abattoir, which turned out to be billions of naira racket from which police officers like Mr. Bala Ciroma, the current Police Commissioner for Abuja, and Mr. James Idachaba unlawfully enriched themselves. These two butchers of Abattoir conspired to silence Emeka Ugwuonye by fabricating false murder charges which led to unjust detention of Emeka Ugwuonye by Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi under questionable legal circumstances. The detention of Emeka Ugwuonye did not deter DPA from pursuing the mission of closing down the Abattoir detention center. This effort began to bear fruits from multiple branches when last two weeks the Chief Judge of FCT Abuja and the Chief Magistrate of Abuja decided to pay a scheduled visit to Abattoir. As usual, early in the morning of the scheduled visit, the policemen went to the Abattoir cells and moved hundreds of inmates and hid them. By the time the Chief Judge and Magistrate arrived, the detention cells looked empty. But one of the few inmates that were left behind had the courage to inform the Chief Judge and Chief Magistrate that the inmates were hidden from them. The Chief Judge and Chief Magistrate then decided to pay unscheduled visit to Abattoir. On Monday, 4th October, 2019, the Chief magistrate arrived Abattoir early in the morning with his staff unannounced and the police were taken unawares. The Chief Magistrate could not believe what he saw. The Chief Magistrate issued hundreds of warrants for the inmates to be remanded in prison and to be charged to Court. That led to the moving of the inmates on Monday evening to Kuje and other prisons. This event was acknowledged by several eyewitnesses. (See the screenshot below).   The efforts of the Chief Magistrate coincided with the effort of the IGP office to decongest Abattoir in anticipation of the public attention which DPA has brought to bear on the scandalous activities going on at Abattoir.   This is an unfolding event and further updates shall be provided. Stay tuned to DPA News.

The arrest and public humiliation, via parading in handcuffs, of two ladies for claiming to be pregnant from Davido, the singer, is a clear abuse of power.

Davido is a public figure, a celebrity and an artist. He placed his private life in the public domain through his endless public displays of his private life, such as his romance with his girlfriend, Chioma, his buying of an expensive car for Chioma, the giving of birth, presumably out of wedlock, by Chioma to Davido's son. Davido made and caused to be made endless posts on social media about his life, including exaggerated and false claims about his fame and success.

It is normal that such celebrities and performing artists excite all manner of reactions from fans and followers on the stage and outside. Fans fantasize about them. There is really nothing extraordinary about young women claiming to have had liaisons with stars - rock stars and movie starts. Thousands of women claimed that Michael Jackson visited them in their dreams. Indeed, that is part of the standard experience of celebrities.

There is no harm caused to Davido by a mere claim on social media by a girl that she had an affair with him. The sisters did not accuse him of raping them. They did not accuse him of committing any crime. They did not demand money from him. They did not blackmail him. They did not file for child support. They did not provide any factual details to try to convince anybody that they were telling the truth. All the sisters did was to make a joke about a rock star who was occupying their social media space. At the very best, the only person to be mildly irritated by this joke is Chioma. And Chioma's irritation would come either from her sense of insecurity with Davido or her belief that he is so promiscuous that the joke might not have been a joke.

To place a bounty on the heads of the ladies is a sign of exceptional readiness to flaunt power and money. To have them arrested when no clear crime could be said to have been committed is a violation of their rights. To parade them publicly as criminals is an extreme abuse. And to do all this just to please Chioma is a callous display of arrogance, power drunkenness and insensitivity.  These women had apologized publicly for any inconvenience caused and they said it was a joke. A mild rebuke on social media would have been enough.

It is particularly troubling to realize that the parading of the women was done, not by the police, but by a private citizen. That is unlawful.  The fact that Davido is related to a political family is further disturbing because inevitably one must wonder the environment in which Davido was raised. Is this the kind of behavior his Senator and Governor uncle would consider proper?

If Nigerians allow Davido to get away with this, more people who feel they are powerful enough would repeat it in other varying circumstances. And if this continues unchecked, time shall come when ordinary citizens will become too afraid to make jokes about public figures and officials. Yet we know that the right of the common man to make jokes about public figures is an indispensable part of any free society.

For the above reasons, DPA condemns as wrong the sequence of power display that culminated in the shaming of these sisters. Also, DPA reaches out to those holding and intimidating these girls to cease and desist. DPA will gladly assist these girls if they request help with the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

NOTE:

 

This is to be shared on Twitter and DPA Rambo Facebook page, in case you want to share it. Also, DPA will provide support and assistance to the sisters to end the ordeal they are currently going through. At the same time, we warn people to be careful about the sort of claims they make on social media. If you want to joke about things like pregnancies, let it be known it is a joke, especially when you know that people are taking you seriously.