SaharaReporters reported on January 17, that the Anambra State Command of the Nigeria Police Force arrested Okonkwo, a businessman and activist from Oraifite in Ekwusigo council area of the state for allegedly criticising one Chief Emeka Offor.
The solicitor to a businessman, Comrade Bonny Okonkwo, detained by the Anambra State Police Command, has called on the Vice President, Kashim Shettima and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to direct the state police commissioner, Aderemi Adeoye to release his client immediately or bring him to court if he has committed any offence known to law.
SaharaReporters reported on January 17, that the Anambra State Command of the Nigeria Police Force arrested Okonkwo, a businessman and activist from Oraifite in Ekwusigo council area of the state for allegedly criticising one Chief Emeka Offor.
Okonkwo, who was arrested on January 3, has been in detention at State Police Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka for the past 15 days without being charged to court for any offence other than that Chief Offor, a Business Mogul and Chief Executive Officer of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC felt insulted by his comment on the community social media platform.
However, a petition to the Vice President and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, by Okonkwo's lawyer, S.I. Okonkwo, titled: "Illegal arrest and continued detention of Comrade Bonny Okonkwo at the instigation of Emeka Offor, by the Anambra State Polce Command, Headquarters Awka," has called for his release immediately.
"Comrade Bonny Okonkwo is a human rights activist and social crusader, a South African based businessman and an indigene of Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State. He hails from Oraifite, same town with Emeka Offor," the Petitioner stated.
"It was on the 4th day of January 2024, that Comrade Bonny Okonkwo who returned home to celebrate the Christmas holiday with his family, was ambushed at gun point by Police personnel from Oraifite Area Command Headquarters.
"On his arrival at the station, he was confronted with a petition written against him by Emeka Offor through his solicitors EMEKA AJAEGBO & CO. Comrade Bonny was questioned on a fair comment allegedly attributed to him, which contribution questioned the improvised and unannounced visit of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to commission a grossly insignificant project built for the widows five years ago, and prepaid meter assembling factory, while a larger part of the community is at the verge of being wiped out completely by a devastating gully erosion which has defied every solution so far proffered by the state Government.
"Though the content of the said online publication is presently a subject matter of litigation, however, it is important to make pertinent highlight on how an individual will turn a whole Federal security agency into an object of intimidation, oppression of the downtrodden and abuse of human rights of innocent citizens.
"Comrade Bonny was immediately whisked away to Anambra State Police Command Headquarters Awka, the following day after his reaction to the said publication was recorded by the police in a statement he voluntarily donated to them," Okonkwo revealed.
The petitioner regretted that despite that police had yet to comply and pay Okonkwo the judgement debt awarded to him the a federal High Court in the police earlier abuse of his rights, he said that since January 4, 2024, Comrade Okonkwo has been held illegally in the custody of "the Anambra State Police Command Headquarters Awka at the behest of Emeka Offor, who is boasting around that Comrade Bonny will perish in detention".
He explained that following gross violation of Bonny’s fundamental rights extantly guaranteed under the constitution, he commenced a Fundamental Rights Action before the Federal High Court Awka to enforce the immediate release of comrade Bonny Okonkwo. "Though the matter has now been adjourned to the 30th Day of January 2024 for hearing but it is pertinent to point out that Comrade Bonny Okonkwo has been detained since the 4th day of January 2024, on a frivolous allegation that borders on a simple bailable offence.
"Today, being the 20th day of January 2024, makes it 16 days Bonny has been held in the custody of the police without being granted bail or even charged to court if he has committed any offence known to law. Rather, the police insist that they will not release Bonny until order from above says otherwise.
"We are still yet to rationalize the fact that the Vice President on whose purported pedestals, Emeka Offor is still keeping Bonny Okonkwo in detention is even aware of the evil being perpetrated by Emeka Offor in collaboration with the Police. The Vice President is an honourable man whom we are firmly certain will never wish to be associated with the rascality being perpetrated by Emeka Offor and the police in Anambra, hence we are craving for his responsive and positive intervention.
"It is also important to let the world know, that this is not the first time Emeka Offor instigated the arrest and detention of Comrade Bonny Okonkwo. In 2014, Emeka Offor mobilized the officers of Nigeria Police Force, Special Anti Robbery Squad to arrest Comrade Bonny Okonkwo. He was subsequently arrested in Lagos and brought to Abuja where he was detained in the most dreaded facility of SARS at Abattoir.
"Judgement was later entered in favour of Bonny Okonkwo against the police and Emeka Offor in the Fundamental Rights action filed on behalf of Comrade Bonny Okonkwo by the law Chambers of FALANA AND FALANA, SANS.
"Till date, neither the police nor Emeka Offor has paid the judgement debt, yet they embarked on this recent brutality against Bonny Okonkwo."
He, however, maintained that the right to freedom of expression is a fundamental right of citizens extantly guaranteed under our laws. "If there is any iota of truth in Emeka Offor’s claim, why can’t the police charge Comrade Bonny Okonkwo to court, for them to prove the alleged offence he committed.
"Interestingly, in court filing deposed to by Emeka Offor himself, and filed on the 18th day of January 2024, at the Federal High Court Awka, Emeka Offor stoutly denied knowledge that Bonny has been in detention since 4th of January, 2024. He claimed that the Police is only acting on his petition to the Inspector General of Police dated 9th of January 2024.
"Unfortunately, for Emeka Offor who was merely being smart by half in the above claim, his Solicitors' letter to Oraifite Area Command submitted on the 4th day of January 2024, pursuant to which Bonny was arrested on the same day, is very clear that the law office of EMEKA AJAEGBO & CO., represented Emeka Offor in that capacity as his solicitors on whose behalf they petitioned the Area Commander.
"While we await the next hearing date, we wish to use this medium to seek for the immediate intervention of the Inspector General of Police and the office of the Vice President to immediately order that Comrade Bonny Okonkwo an innocent citizen who has been held in confinement, in gross violation of his constitutional guaranteed rights, be released immediately or be charged to court if he has committed any offence known to law," the petition read.