POLICE BRUTALITY ON ILAJE STUDENTS – QUESTIONS FOR DEMOCRACY

By Elvis-Wura Towolawi

One of the hallmarks and pillars; nay, benefits of a virile democracy is the leverage given to the citizenry to express their dissatisfaction and disapproval of government’s action and policies either through the Ballot or Protest.  And the latter is most cherished as it is a branch of Free Expression – a right protected in every democracy. All’s lost in a supposed democracy when a people’s mouths in that entity are muffled in apartheid-styled manner by security agents from expressing dissent. Sadly, such a situation comes with a price – alternative expression of dissent through the bullet! Consequently, this piece of protest writing is done in solidarity with Ilaje students who had their legitimate peaceful protest against a 6-year ‘blackout’ in Igbokoda, the headquarter of Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria; broken up with unlawful and brutal force by policemen stationed in Igbokoda; resulting in bodily injury and arrest of some of the students. Here are the facts.

Reports have it that on Wednesday, 10^th of December, 2014 a company of students under the umbrella of National Association of Ilaje Students (NAIS) embarked on a peaceful protest and marched on Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo state; to decry and declaim the lack of power-supply in Igbokoda, an oil-producing community in Ondo for over 6-years. The band of protesters marched on OSOPADEC and NDDC office where they were attacked by policemen attached to the Igbokoda Police Station. They were shot at and Ibukun Obayelu, a student of University of Benin was hit on the thigh by a bullet. He collapsed and was ferried to the general hospital, fatally injured. And the police further arrested Victor Adeya (President of the Association), a 300-level Quantity surveying undergraduate of University of Lagos; Busayo Ebiniyi of Kwara Polytechnic, and Olanrewaju Oretan, a Biochemistry student of University of Port-Harcourt. [See: the Nation, Thursday, December 11, 2014)

Now, what is important to note is that the student association obtained police permit before it carried out the protest.

Ilaje community is the resource jewel of Ondo state, Nigeria for it is the oil-spitting goose that lays the golden egg which enables Ondo state to be part of the Niger-Delta; thereby qualifying her to earn the additional 13% Derivation Fund from the Federal Government of Nigeria, in addition to her monthly allocation. It smacks of unconscionable socio-economic injustice and robbery to leave Igbokoda in ‘darkness’; without the light on for over 6-years. And to add salt to injury, when the enlightened fragment demand explanation form the authorities that manage the oil-wealth – they are pounced upon, harassed, shot at and dehumanized like mere outcast and criminal. When peaceful protest is made impossible by the high handedness of government agencies, it certainly makes violent protest and militancy attractive and inevitable. What is the essence of having the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Ondo when it cannot provide at least an hour of electricity for the Ilajes? Is the Amnesty Program just to enrich and empower some few warlords while the communities that bear the real brunt of oil exploration are left to wallow in abject poverty and underdevelopment?

The Ilaje students protest is just an inkling and expression of the general disaffection of the people with the untoward direction of development programs in oil-rich communities in the Niger-Delta. If our resources cannot make life better for us all, then it is in the process of becoming a curse and burden to us all! Let there be light in Ilaje! Let the dignity and rights of the students breached be redressed! #BringBackOurLight in Igbokoda, Ilaje!

 

GISHIRI VILLAGE MOB ACTION AGAINST DEFENCELESS CITIZENS SUSPECTED TO BE GAYS

PRESS RELEASE BY LAWYERS ALERT

Lawyers Alert views with concern the Gishiri village mob action led by one Pastor Blaze wherein he embarked on a path of “cleansing” Gishiri village of people he termed as, or suspected to be homosexuals on the 12^th and 13^th days of February 2014.

On these days                Pastor Blaze became a law unto himself and at about 01.00am and 02.00am on the respective days; he assembled a team and embarked on a breach of the law by disturbing the peace of the sleepy village. The mob broke into the homes of some citizens, destroying doors and windows in complete acts of unlawful destruction of people’s properties using wood and other harmful objects like rakes and hatchets.

About 14 citizens were dragged out of their homes and attacked without any provocation whatsoever, and in the process, looting of valuables and properties ensued alongside other vices. After the orgy of assault and battery of these defenseless citizens for no reason whatsoever, Pastor Blaze alongside his mob dragged these citizens to the police station at Gishiri and subsequently to the Divisional Office of the Nigeria Police at Mabushi Abuja.  At the Mabushi Divisional office, these citizens were further detained, after suffering unprovoked attacks, looting and assault for absolutely nothing and the assailants allowed to go home.

Please note that these citizens were not caught contravening any law of the federal republic of Nigeria,

We however commend the actions of the Divisional Police Officer, who next day, let the citizens go home as no charges could be brought against them as they were not breaching any laws, but were themselves the object of brutal attacks by a mob.

Lawyers Alert notes that we live in a democracy that is increasingly being threatened by lawless and violent sects. These violent sects and people start from somewhere and gradually grow into a terminal menace to the society. Pastor Blaze and his followers (mob) is one of such, and we are worried that up to till date, no arrest has been made and this mob and their ilk across the country will view the handling of this situation as a compass for future similar acts.

This culture of violence, particularly extra judicial killings, is gradually becoming the norm in Nigeria. The manner our security agents and the law react to the advent of these tendencies is important. The Gisihiri incident appears to be but the beginning of another form of religious extremism, this time right in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory. We implore the police to decisively deal with the situation by the arrest and trial of the suspects. We understand useful statements have been made to the police regarding Pastor Blaze and his followers and we call for action.

Our country is a country governed by laws, and we implore citizens, no matter our level of belief, bias or conviction in like situations, to allow the law take its course. We, as a people cannot begin to express hate and violent acts towards defenseless citizens when we have the law to resort to.

It could be said that every human being stands the chance of being in a situation where s/he is the minority. It could be due to reasons of ethnicity, race, religion, social standing, physical attributes etc. Such situations should not be used to justify violence nor invite it on us for the reason of our various minority statuses.

 

CHIGOZIE ONAH ESQ

HEAD, ABUJA OFFICE OF LAWYERS ALERT.

19^th Feb, 2014