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On The Unlawful Arrest Of Ebere Wabara Of Sun Newspapers

Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) unreservedly condemns the unlawful arrest in the early hours of March 28, 2014 of Ebere Wabara of the Sun Newspapers by Police Officers from Abia state. Mr. Wabara was said to have been arrested  on the orders of Mr. Theodore Orji, Abia State Governor on the prodding of his son for discharging his professional duties.

Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN) unreservedly condemns the unlawful arrest in the early hours of March 28, 2014 of Ebere Wabara of the Sun Newspapers by Police Officers from Abia state. Mr. Wabara was said to have been arrested  on the orders of Mr. Theodore Orji, Abia State Governor on the prodding of his son for discharging his professional duties.

Mr. Wabara was forcefully taken away from his residence early that morning by the police officers without being informed of the reason for his arrest. It was only after the police officers  had taken him all the way to Abia State that the Abia state Command stated that he  would be charged to court for  'sedition'.

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Sedition was a colonial offence used by the colonial authorities to suppress opposition and to repress the freedoms of speech and the press. It has since been expunged from the Nigerian law.

Curiously, the Nigerian Police authorities continue to charge media practitioners and critics with sedition in spite of its non existence in the Nigerian law. It is the same way that the police continue to rely on the colonial Public Order Act- which has been  declared by the Appeal Court as unconstitutional and illegal and unjustifiable in a democracy -to repress freedom of expression.

It is disturbing that the Nigerian Police- an organisation set up by law to enforce the law- will go outside the law to enforce the law.

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It is saddening that some members of the Nigerian police continue inflict more damage to the image of the force by their continued resort to the repressive and brute methods of the authoritarian era of military dictatorship. They not only undermine all the reform efforts of civil society, government and international community but also subvert the rule of law and threaten democracy and civilisation.

Police officers who continue to lend themselves for use by politicians and influential individuals to settle political, communal or personal scores do not fit into the modern police force of democracy. The IGP should begin to make scapegoat of  police officers who flout his repeated warnings against unprofessional and unlawful practices.

It is an irony that the son of the Abia State Governor, Chinedu Orji, reportedly masterminded Wabara's arrest. If this is true, then it is surprising that the police are yet to arrest this same Chinedu Orji  for his several unruly and criminal behaviours including recently, the alleged murder of his personal aide, Mr. John Ndubuka sometime in February.

It is appalling that this  same rascal could, by the mere virtue of his being the governor's son, influence the police  to arrest  a responsible professional who has not committed any offence except that he may have expressed opinions unpalatable to his father's government.

While commending the IGP for ordering the release of Wabara, NOPRIN hereby calls on the IGP to further direct the Abia State Police command to publicly apologise to Wabara for the abuse of his fundamental human rights.

NOPRIN also calls on the IGP to order an investigation into the alleged role of the Abia State Governor's son- Chinedu Orji in the murder of his PA.

The IGP should make it clear to police officers that the police is an honourable profession and not for hatchet jobs. Its personnel must steer clear of all unprofessional and unlawful practices that breed public resentment and distrust.

Okechukwu Nwanguma
National Coordinator
NOPRIN

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