Friday, November 22, 2013

PREMIUM TIMES : Police, SSS Helped Chime Lock Up Wife For Four Months – Falana

A human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has alleged that officials of the
Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security Service,
SSS, were involved in the four months 'detention' of Enugu State's
First Lady, Clara Chime.
Mr. Falana made the allegation at the launching of the book, 'Honour
For Sale, An Insider Account of the Murder of Dele Giwa by Major Debo
Bashorun', in Lagos on Friday.
"I have discovered that the police and SSS helped the governor in
confining his wife in a room for four months incommunicado," Mr.
Falana said.
Earlier this month, Mrs. Chime was reported to have sent a letter to
Mr. Falana, claiming that she had been detained in the government
house by her husband, Governor Sullivan Chime. This led the lawyer to
write a petition to the Inspector General of Police, and the National
Human Rights Commission seeking an investigation into the alleged
abuse of Mrs. Chime's right of free movement.
The Governor later held a press conference confirming that he had
detained his wife but only because of her ill-health.
Mr. Falana decried the presence of the security operatives at Mr.
Chime's press conference.
"The police officers were also at the press conference when the
governor admitted that he has turned the government house into a
psychiatric ward," he lamented.
He stated that the connivance of the security operatives with the
ruling class to oppress Nigerians was now the major threat to the
nation's democracy and rule of law. He enjoined all Nigerians to
resist it.
Convoy to face manslaughter
Referring to the spate of road accidents and resulting deaths
involving the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada's convoy, Mr. Falana
noted, "Police officials and the SSS are always with these convoys
that kill ordinary Nigerians."
Mr. Wada himself broke a leg in one of the accidents while his former
Aide-De-Camp, Idris Mohammed, died. In another one, which occurred in
2012, a pregnant woman was killed. The most recent one, two weeks ago,
claimed the life of a former president of the Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, Festus Iyayi.
"Governor Wada should bear the tragic responsibility for the killing
of Prof. Iyayi," Mr. Falana said.
Acknowledging that Mr. Wada could not stand trial because of the
constitutional immunity clause, Mr. Falana called for the Governor's
drivers to be charged with manslaughter.
"The desperate move to turn Nigeria into a police state must be
resisted by all," he declared.

No comments:

Post a Comment