By our Correspondent
Human rights group, Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged, CENTREP has called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP to offer public apology in all the national dailies to DAILY POST Correspondent in Delta State, Mr. Matthew Omonigho and four of his Colleagues over their unlawful arrest and detention by the IGP Squad on Tuesday May 26.
The group made the call in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi Esq.
While stressing that it has taken over the case of the five Journalists “Pro-Bono”, the group vowed to file separate fundamental rights suit on their behalf against the Police and claim damages at the High Court in Warri in a bid to defending and/or enforcing their fundamental rights.
According to the group,””We are reliably informed by the journalists concerned that this Tuesday evening, a team of Men of the SARS, IGP Squad stormed the Press Centre of the Warri Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and arrested the Correspondent of Daily Post Online, Mr. Matthew Omonigho in lieu of Mr. Cletus Opukeme, a journalist and a colleague of the former.
“Mr Matthew Omonigho was in the process assaulted by his abductors who tore his jeans trouser and cut his belt before taking him to the Area Command Office, Warri where he was detained.
“At the behest of the State NUJ Chairman, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu four journalists i.e. Mr. Edeki Igafe (NAN Correspondent), Mr. Francis Sadhere (Business Day Correspondent), Mr. Onyekachukwu Meluwa (Punch Newspaper Correspondent) and Mr. Christopher Odamah (a Freelancer) were sent to the Area Command Office, Warri to find out the offence, Mr. Matthew Omonigho had committed.
“To the surprise of the four some, they were all arrested and detained by the said operatives of the SARS, IGP Squad without any formal charge.
“It however took the intervention of the State NUJ Chairman and others to effecting the release of the five journalists after several hours in police custody.”
The group who also condemned the arrests and detention of the five Journalists saying,”It is unlawful, unconstitutional and a violation of their fundamental rights.”
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we call on the Police High Command to offer a public apology in all the national dallies to the said journalists forthwith in line with Section 35 Sub Section 6 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) or else we shall not hesitate to file separate fundamental rights suit in the High Court, Warri on behalf of all the said journalists against the police and claim damages at large cum an order to render public apology in all the national dailies, to the said Journalist.
“We believe that such a suit would teach the Police on how to be more professional and to respect human rights of the citizenry while discharging their statutory duties.”
