He said the Department of State Services is an important tool in the unity of Nigeria and as such the agency must not be allowed to be used by anybody, whether a sitting president, governor or senator to harass and intimidate citizens, who dare speak truth to power.
A political activist, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, has accused the ruling class in Kogi State of using security operatives to subvert the will and opinion of people living in the state.
Okai disclosed this while reacting to the arrest and continued detention of one Habib Omachile over a Facebook post.
He said the Department of State Services is an important tool in the unity of Nigeria and as such the agency must not be allowed to be used by anybody, whether a sitting president, governor or senator to harass and intimidate citizens, who dare speak truth to power.
He said, “Last month, I learned how Barrister Natasha Akpoti was invited for raising alarm on the spate of kidnapping, killing and other crimes bedeviling citizens of Kogi State.
“About two months ago, Adeboh Smart Opaluwa was trailed by the DSS for raising eyebrows over the nonchalant attitude of Kogi State Government towards curtailing the geometric spread of the deadly virus.
“The testimony of Barrister Realwan Okpanachi, who contacted the virus alongside his wife and children from Olamaboro vindicated the initial insinuation of Adeboh Smart, the same way Onoja-Integrity Johnson was trailed for raising an alarm over the issue at stake.
“To worsen the state government's rampage on citizens who deemed necessary to draw the government attention to striking issues confronting the state, Habib Omachile was arrested from his home town, he was reportedly whisked from Anyigba at 2 O'clock midnight and has since been taken to Lokoja by the DSS on the allegation that he was said to have orchestrated injurious falsehood via his Facebook post, stating that people were dying at an alarming rate due to fever.
“The victim was inverably saying there is COVID-19 in the state against the true position of the state government on the matter.
“We can't continue to live in intimidation, it’s time DSS should stand by the citizens and stop this harassment. Okai roared, called on DSS to see contrary view in the state as friends who want good of the state not being treated as an enemy of the state.”