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#EndBadGovernance Protests: ACF Condemns Trial Of Minors, Demands Immediate Release
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has criticised the arrest and trial of some minors from the northern part of the country before a Federal High Court in Abuja on allegations of treason and other offences for their participation in the #EndBadGovernance Protests.
The forum in a statement on Sunday described it as a show of shame and a demonstration of needless official high-handedness at its worst.
ACF National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad- Babahe, said the trial of the minors for their alleged participation in the protests is a strong-arm tactic, reminiscent of strategies employed by authoritarian and intolerant but weak regimes aimed at muscling citizens.
He expressed disappointment in the apparent resort to abandoning court by the trial judge and the unreasonable bail conditions he granted the detainees.
“It was not just the impossible monetary condition but to ask the detainees to provide sureties who must be senior government officials is beyond belief, these being citizens from the lower rungs of society who may never have been to Abuja! Shorn of all niceties or political correctness, the trial simply assaults common sense and it is, in this regard as scandalous and reckless as can be,” the statement read.
The forum also noted that the saga portrays President Bola Tinubu’s Administration in evil light, domestically and internationally and obvious in reportage of the matter in major international news channels.
ACF, therefore, called on the Federal Government to Immediately halt the detention and trial of the arrested citizens; release the “suspects” and return them to their families unharmed.
It also asked the Federal Government to Investigate the circumstances that led to the detention of the so-called suspects for over three months, way beyond the constitutional limits of 24 hours; and extend financial compensation to the detainees for their unnecessary and unjustified detention for over three months and to arrange medical examination, treatment and provide professional, psychological evaluation and counselling to the detainees.
Furthermore, ACF urged the Federal government to Re-evaluate its strategies for processing protests strictly in line with constitutional due processes, principles of good governance and international best practices.
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BREAKING: Finland Police Nab Simon Ekpa, 4 Others Over Terror-related Activities
The Central Criminal Police in Finland has announced the arrest of Finnish-Nigerian separatist agitator, Simon Ekpa and four other individuals over terror-related activities.
According to a tabloid in Finland, Ekpa, the self-declared Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government In-Exile, was remanded in custody by the district court of Päijät-Häme on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
In a Thursday statement published on its website, the Central Criminal Police in Finland said it arrested five persons on suspicion of terrorist crimes.
The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent”, while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime”.
The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21.”
The statement reads, “The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.
“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria.”
The statement quoted the head of the investigation, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen from the Central Crime Police as saying that “the man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels”.
“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects of the crime have been arrested during the beginning of the week.
“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.
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