In an interaction, said a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu
had with newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport March 31
2014, on his return from the United Kingdom, perhaps to honour the Oyo
State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ invitation billed for
April 3, was credited to have said that President Goodluck Jonathan should
evaluate the activities of the Abia State police commissioner, to forestall
controversy in the state.
It was supposedly in the words of Kalu that some policemen in Abia State
are likely to be breaching the rights of individuals by arresting some
journalists, thereby abusing their fundamental human rights of writing.
Also, Kalu seemingly said that the commissioner of police in Abia State is
oblivious of what entails in the constitution. It was apparent that Kalu
believed that the Inspector General of Police understands the laws of this
country and understands that journalists have the right for existence;
hence the police commissioner in Abia State should be warned.
This is a follow-up to the illegitimate arrest of the Associate Editor of
The Sun, Mr. Ebere Wabara at his Lagos residence on Friday 28 March 2014,
by an alleged seventeen police men from Umuahia, on the orders of Governor
Theodore Ahamefule Orji of Abia State.
While some persons think that police were doing their work and should be
allowed, this set of persons are by far below many legal luminaries, who
have condemned the action of the police from Umuahia in strong terms,
without mincing words.
It is important to state that since the incident, the government of Abia
State has been diverting attention with denials upon denials of not being
involved in the arrest. Conversely, the Abia State Government media aides
are now and before, doing hatchet jobs to mislead the general public, with
fictitious stories, laced with their usual occupation of using pseudonyms
in their articles.
You read in some comments, as it relates to the arrest of Wabara, where
they insulted Kalu and called him names, simple because he has called on
the attention of Mr. President, to assess the activities of the
commissioner of police in Abia State. It has become obvious that the fear
of Kalu in the campsite of Gov. T.A Orji, is the beginning of wisdom.
But they forgot that Gov. T.A Orji was a man that Kalu used his hard-earned
resources and connection to support during the 2007 electioneering campaign
upon that Gov. Orji was in prison then. He won the election and Kalu put
his head in making sure that he was not re-arrested when he was released on
court order.
People like Chief Tinubu are there to attest to how Kalu suffered in making
sure that Gov. Orji did not languish in prison.
But today, amongst others, you read such lies from the Gov. Orji’s media
aides just for the purpose of misleading the general public thus: “Security
Watch initiative, an NGO based in Abuja, has condemned the recent outburst
of former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, over the arrest of his aide Ebere Wabara… Leader of the group, Olayinka Tunde wondered why Kalu that hasn’t paid Ebere Wabara four months is talking…” (Comment on Vanguard online, April, 2, 2014).
Did you hear “Security Watch initiative” and “Olayinka Tunde” and “Kalu
that hasn’t paid Ebere Wabara four months”? These are just but a few out of
the many ways this government exposes itself to public ridicule. Which
group is “Security Watch initiative”? Who is “Olayinka Tunde”? Which Kalu
owes Wabara for four months?
Instead of kneeling down and begging for forgiveness having thought that
Wabara would be unlawfully whisked away without anyone knowing, the
government of Abia State is today gasping in regret of ‘had I know’ of how
local and international voices reeled out condemnations against the
tyrannical approach through which Wabara was arrested.
The media-hoodlums of Abia State Government would perpetually, in their
shilly-shallying approach against the rule of law, always support the
police that are ostensibly also, into doing their slay jobs, against
dissenters of the views of Governor T.A Orji of Abia State.
They forgot, or because of their (lucre) remunerations, they are always in
support of anarchical approach to governance, which has become the modus
operandi of the government in our Abia State.
They are not shamefaced that Abia State has never earned the level of
insult it has earned and is still earning since Governor T.A Orji mounted
the saddle to lead our state with misrule and abracadabra nomenclature.
They are not ashamed that nothing good has come out of this government,
except the arrest and witch-hunting of divergent opinions, which they thumb
up for and call them good government and governance of their “Ochendo
Global”; only ‘global’ with irritation!
In total support of the seeming call by Kalu that President Jonathan should
review the activities of the Commissioner of Police in Abia State; this
should also be extended to all the activities of thugs, assassins and
kidnappers in the state.
A serious review has to be done on this commissioner of police to
understand the undertones behind all the heinous activities in our dear
Abia State.
How could the police allegedly see the articles of Wabara and label them
“seditious”, whereas we have always been slapped with “seditious”
mis-governance in the hands of Gov. T. A Orji without the
irritant-commissioner of police in Abia State, ever noticing, let alone,
telling the world that Gov. T.A Orji’s non-performance has pummeled Abia
State to the ground and virtually all the activities in the state, except
the activities of *agberos* and multiple taxations of residents that
blossom and have field day in that once “God’s Own State”, but now Goons’
Own State?
