Politics
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has noted with satisfaction that the court system of Nigeria has just demonstrated that it is still the voice of the common man.
In a statement on Monday, February 20, HURIWA noted that a
“Few days ago, we addressed the disturbing phenomenon of heightened state of targeted attacks of opposition politicians allegedly by armed goons loyal to the Ebonyi State governor Dave Umahi.
“We specifically spoke about the consequences of the conspiracy between the then police commissioner and the Ebubeagu vigilantes to target opposition politicians and to make the state uncomfortable for them to organize their campaigns preparatory for the election coming up in six days time.
“Since after our last media conference, the Inspector General of Police swiftly transferred the said Police Commissioner bur conducted no internal investigation to punish him for breaching his policing ethics just as the Federal High Court acting on a matter instituted by a political victim of attacks by Ebubeagu, successfully got the Federal High Court to invoke its power and disband the notorious Ebubeagu armed vigilantes.
“The Federal High Court in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Tuesday last week, disbanded the South-East security outfit, Ebubeagu, in the state.
“The disbandment, it was noted, was as a consequence of several alleged human rights abuses, extortion, illegal arrest and illegal use of firearms by the security outfit.
‘The court ordered the Ebonyi State Government to, as a matter of urgency, pay the some of N50,000,000 to a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Chief Abia Onyike, who the security outfit, in November 2022, allegedly abducted and tortured for over two hours in the state.
“The plaintiff had, through his counsel, Micheal Odo, approached Justice Riman Fatun, asking that the court should determine “whether the Ebonyi State House of Assembly have the constitutional powers to enact the Ebonyi State Ebebuagu Security Agency Law No. 005 of 2021, having regard to the provisions of item No. 45 of the Second Schedule (Exclusive Legislative List) in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the National Security Agencies Act (Cap. N78) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
“He contended that his arrest, detention and torture by men of the regional security outfit on November 11, 2022 was unlawful.
“Delivering judgment on Tuesday, the court declared that the establishment of Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency was unconstitutional, null and void.
“The judge declared the Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency and the Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Corps had no powers to mount.”
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Tags: Chief Abia Onyike Dave Umahi. EbubeAgu governor Dave Umahi. HURIWA
