By Awwal Umar Kontagora Civil society organizations and rights activist groups have condemned the arrest of Comrade Yahaya Mohammed Usman, p...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Civil society organizations and rights activist groups have condemned the arrest of Comrade Yahaya Mohammed Usman, popularly known as Sai Baba, by the police in Minna.
The groups described the arrest as an assault on freedom of expression and a violation of his fundamental human rights.
Comrade Yahaya Mohammed Usman is a vocal social critic in Niger State and Nigeria in general, especially on issues of corruption and oppression, particularly concerning the rights of the downtrodden.
In a statement issued in Minna, Niger State, the group's spokesman, Comrade Etsu Bala Ndako, on Monday evening said, "It's illegal and an assault on human rights and ought to be condemned by all."
Sai Baba was invited on Monday by the police in Minna, and he honorably complied and presented himself without hesitation.
Ndako said, “In a democratic society, what is expected is that Sai Baba should not be detained but charged to court, but this didn't happen.
“They immediately threw him into detention without even disclosing his offence. We asked questions, and they kept silent. It seems like you cannot ask questions; everything is like a mystery, which is unacceptable to us.
“We expected that if they had a case against him, they should have charged him to court rather than detaining him without informing him of his offence.
“Why was he invited? If he committed any offence, what is the offence? If we do not speak out on this, they will continue to do this to other innocent citizens.”
The group accused the police of violating the rule of law by acting as the accuser, prosecutor, and judge in this case.
They appealed to well-meaning Nigerlites, Nigerians in general, and the government to call the police to order and immediately release Sai Baba without delay, or charge him to court without delay.
Meanwhile, the Niger State Youth Emancipation Movement described Sai Baba's arrest as politically motivated, saying he is the only voice of the masses in Niger State. They insisted that the police's action was an infringement on Comrade Yahaya's rights, said Joshua Musa Danladi.
“It is either we are in a democracy or we are not. In any democracy, there are procedures by which issues are handled. If you disagree with an opinion or feel you’ve been defamed, the courts are there.
“But what we have now as a democracy is where activists and people with divergent opinions can just be summarily arrested on purely civil matters—issues that ordinarily would have been the exclusive reserve of the courts.”
He called on the authorities and leaders in Niger State to intervene and prevail on the agency to immediately free Sai Baba without delay, and that the agency will be held responsible if anything happens to him.
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