By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Mr. Martins Eyam, a graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Cross River State, UNICROSS has spent over one week in remand following his arrest and incarceration on the orders of the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Francisca Bassey.
Mr. Eyam, who has defended his project and is awaiting his certificate, met with school authorities after he was summoned over a WhatsApp voice note supporting a protest over the “No Fees, No Exams” policy of the institution.
“Uknown to him, the management had asked ‘Operation Okwok’ (a joint task force of the Cross River State Government) to arrest him and lock him up,” a friend of his, and student (name withheld to prevent punitive actions by staff and management) CrossRiverWatch.
Mr. Eyam had in the voice note said students should come together to help the vulnerable among them after the management suspended seven students including a graduate over the protest that rocked the school following the inability of the institution to verify their fees.
READ ALSO: UNICROSS Suspend Students For Protesting ‘No Fees, No Exams’ Management Policy
“He was picked with the Operation Okwok people asking him if he wants to be like Falana (Femi Falana, a legal luminary) and VDM (Vincent Martins, also known as Very Dark Man, a social critic) without money. He was scolded for standing up for others and whisked away. He did not struggle,” another person (again, name withheld) said.
He has spent nine days so far incarcerated while activists and Groups condemn the action.
Listen to the Voice Note below…
The Country Director, Citizens Solutions Network, Richard Inoyo in a statement issued to CrossRiverWatch called on the Governor, and Attorney General to, “realize that the fundamental right of graduate student Martins Eyam to free speech must not be silenced by an appointee in the University of Cross River State.”
“Let it be on public registry that, we all as a society terribly fail when evil people overstep their bounds by misusing state resources in punishing innocent persons for speaking up against wrong policy actions. What the Vice Chancellor Mrs. Francisca Bassey has done is arbitrary abysmal.
“Let it be said that neither the acting Vice Chancellor who is openly violating the right of graduate student Martins Eyam by using public security and imprisonment institutions nor even a devil of any means would stand their son or daughter or ward being abducted and locked up in Calabar Prison for simply exercising their right to expression which is constitutionally guaranteed,” the statement further read.
In a similar vein, rights lawyer, F. Baba Isa Esq took to his verified Facebook page to demand for the immediate release of Mr. Eyam.
According to Mr. Isa, Mr. Eyam “was arrested, and he is being detained for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression.”
He added that; “The Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Francisca, should immediately facilitate the release of this student immediately. To be poor and unable to pay school fees is not a crime. To also complain or even protest against unfavorable school policies is not a crime.”
Also, Citizen Agba Jalingo, an activist, said if Mr. Eyam was not released soon, he will lead a protest to the Vice Chancellor’s office until he was brought out.
“What exactly did he say here that should warrant arrest and imprisonment?” Citizen Jalingo queried while sharing the whatsapp voice note on Facebook,
“Why do we just love to see people being arrested and thrown behind bars? Does that give some power drunk people and some criminal police elements orgasm?” he wrote.
He further averred that, “Madam Acting VC of UNICROSS, if you do not facilitate the release of this boy, we will actually make your work very very very difficult for you. This wickedness must be challenged and you will also have to give explanations on why it happened in the first place.”
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