by crossriverwatch admin
Human Rights lawyer, Barrister Obono Obla has condemned the arrest and continued detention of a youth activist and Director General of the Cross River State Political Network CRISPON by the State Security Service in Cross River State.
In a statement from his law firm, Obono Obla and Co. to crossriverwatch, the lawyer accused the SSS of dabbling into matters that are beyond their statutory responsibilities and detaining Prince Abuo for over forty eight hours without arraigning him before court of competent jurisdiction.
Part of the statement reads: “A well known Youth Activist in Cross River State, Prince Micheal Nku Abuo has been arrested since the 21st February 2013 and clamped into detention by the State Security Service in Calabar.
“Prince Abuo is a Director General in the Cross River State Political Network, CRISPON. He collaborated with the Joint Communities Youth Forum of Akamkpa/Akpabuyo L.G.A. of Cross River State in carrying out a peaceful protest against UNICEM basically on the grounds that the company is not leaving up to its corporate social responsibilities with the youths.
“They demanded that the Human Resource Manager of the company who is a Yoruba man must be changed and replaced with a Cross Riverian. That the Director of Corporate Affairs who is from Odukpani and who has been depriving them of so many benefits from the company be changed and replaced with an indigene of either Akamkpa or Akpabuyo.
“They also requested that the Procedure Manager who is a non-Cross Riverian should be replaced with an indigene of Cross River and above all that UNICEM must as a matter of necessity enter into agreement with her host communities via MOU”.
The state said for this reasons, UNICEM invited the SSS to arrest Prince Abuo who has been in detention in an unknown location since February 21, 2013.
“We call on the SSS to immediately effect the release of Prince Michael Abuo or charge him to court. We condemn the use of the SSS by the management of UNICEM to intimidate, harass and or cow down Prince Abuo and his cohorts from pursuing the legitimate aspirations of the people of Cross River State of Nigeria.
“It is more than 48 hours since Prince Abuo was arrested by the SSS and taken to an unknown destination. Under the Law the SSS have no right to arrest Prince Nku and clamp him into detention without charging him before a court of competent jurisdiction. We advise the SSS not to dabble into matters that are outside the statutory responsibilities of the department.
“The right to demonstrate is a constitutionally guaranteed right that cannot be wished away by the SSS under any guise. The agitation of Prince Abuo and his group has nothing whatsoever to do with breach of security which the SSS is statutorily empowered to prevent. We condemn the use of SSS to settle private scores”. The statement concluded
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