•Accuses DSS, police of partiality
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), has condemned the arrest of the Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate in Lagos State, Fredrick Nwajagu by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Nwajagu was reported to have said he would invite armed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB ) to Lagos State, to stall the intimidation of Igbo resident in the state.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, also slammed the secret police and the Nigeria Police Force for their deliberate actions of not arresting some of the foot soldiers of the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu who have made vile remarks during the polls.
HURIWA said it was 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 was quick to arrest Eze Igbo who defended his people.
He said the whole world watched in horrific shock as Igbo were allegedly attacked and assaulted at polling units across Lagos State on February 25 and on March 18 during the general elections because of their overwhelming support for the candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
According to him, Igbo-dominated areas like Amuwo Odofin, Alaba in Ojo local government amongst others were seriously attacked which hampered the result of the Labour Party candidate.
“It is alarming that the DSS, POLICE, and ARMY have been very biased against Igbo people of Nigeria since Bola Ahmed Tinubu was controversially returned as President elect by a grossly ethically challenged INEC.
“The arrest of the Eze Igbo in Lagos, failure to arrest MC Oluomo and Bayo Onanuga, FFK who made clear threats against Igbos are incontrovertible evidence of a prejudicial security system.
“Also, the excessive partisanship of the National Broadcasting Commission in favour of Tinubu and its extreme anti-media freedom dictatorship is so undemocratic and condemnable.
“We, however, encourage media houses not to give up the struggle to maintain plurality of view in their broadcasting and encourage them to go to court and challenge the unconstitutional conducts of the politically-tainted NBC.
“HURIWA will be writing a very powerful letter to the International Criminal Court in The Hague demanding visa ban on enemies of free press and democracy,” he said.