HURIWA faults continued detention of Eze Igbo in Lagos

• Knocks DSS, others over selective deployment of security agencies
Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, faulted the continued detention of the Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate, in Lagos State, Chief Fredrick Nwajagu by the Department of State Services (DSS).

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, accused the DSS and the Nigeria Police for being an armed wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that selective deployment of security agencies to attack opponents of APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, will lead Nigeria into deeper crises.

The group chided security agencies for deliberately not arresting some of Tinubu’s foot soldiers, who said vile and abominable things before, during and after the 2023 general elections, thereby triggering tribal attacks against non-indigenous residents in the state.

HURIWA said it is shocking and a display of double standards that while Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, Bayo Onanuga and Femi Fani-Kayode, are allowed to continue spewing ethnically inciting and verbally putrid statements against Igbos in Lagos, the DSS is quick to arrest Eze Igbo, who defended his people that were massively attacked and assaulted during the February 25 and March 18 general elections, because of their overwhelming support for the candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

The group said: “It is a display of double standards by the security agencies that Chief Fredrick Nwajagu remain in custody for over two weeks and is denied bail, while those who openly threatened lives of Igbos in Lagos because of their united support and solidarity with Peter Obi and Labour Party.

“Nwajagu’s offence is because of his identity as an Igbo leader, who was tired of his people being attacked and killed because of their political choices.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not yet inaugurated and his supporters are deploying DSS to go after those who they perceived didn’t vote for him in an election many believe he never won, but got rigged into position of president-elect by the ethically challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by Mahmood Yakubu.

“These biases and selective deployment of state-owned security forces to attack perceived opponents of APC during the last polls will spell doom for Nigeria. The government and the security forces who looked the other way when Igbo are threatened in Lagos are as guilty of apartheid policy implementation, just as the biased security heads of DSS, Police and Army that are supporting APC against their oaths of office and allegiance to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

“Loyalty of armed forces should be to the constitution, and it is illegal for these armed security forces to be used as armed wing of APC and Bola Tinubu. Let us stop these infractions before they lead us into deeper crises that would torpedo democracy and rule of law.”