•HURIWA alleges vendetta in anti-graft war
A Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos asking for an order for immediate release of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, alleging that his fundamental rights have been violated.
A Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos asking for an order for immediate release of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, alleging that his fundamental rights have been violated.
The development came as a pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), faulted the way and manner the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war is being handled, saying “it is embarking on a political journey of vendetta using the anti-graft mantra as a cover to unleash maximum civilian totalitarianism on Nigeria.”
Metuh was arrested by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on January 5, 2016, in his house in Abuja and he has been kept in custody ever since, without access to his family, lawyers or doctors.
In the suit filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Adegboruwa is contending that under Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution, the EFCC has exceeded the maximum time allowed by law for detention of a citizen, without trial in any court.
The plaintiff argued that the EFCC act constitutes a flagrant violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights guaranteed under sections 33, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and Articles 4, 5, 6, 12, and 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is ultra vires, null and void and unconstitutional.
HURIWA alleged that the EFCC is being used to harass, intimidate and physically detain top members of the opposition in Nigeria with the aim of creating a one party state, stressing that the detention of Metuh is a serious threats to civil democracy because it is based on nebulous allegation of involvement in the so-called sharing of arms vote.
Speaking at a press briefing at the weekend in Abuja, National Coordinator, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said: “If Nigeria is pushed into becoming a one party state and those with dissenting voices are chased around using EFCC, we will surely enthrone totalitarianism and those with courage to speak out but are too scared of being persecuted in the media by EFCC will go underground and Nigeria will be worst for it because the next stage is for the Federal Government to go after independent media and genuine civil society stakeholders.
Since Mr. President said he can’t respect court orders and some persons are clapping then we must be ready to live with full fledged dictatorship.”
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