By Sylvester Enoghase – Senior Correspondent
The Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday condemned the unlawful and unjustifiable arrest, detention and alleged torture of Mr. Amaechi Anekwe of the Africa Independent (AIT) at the instance of Mr. Joseph Mbu, an AIG of Police.
NLC in a statement by its General Secretary, Comrade (Dr.) Peter Ozo-Eson stated that the Congress views the alleged controversial story against Mbu as neither derogatory nor libelous and, even if the word or sentence were otherwise, there are lawful channels of redress.
He said: “We are worried and called for his immediate release because the alleged offence of Anekwe is that he had referred to Mbu as controversial, which in our view is neither derogatory nor libelous; and even if the word or sentence were otherwise, there are lawful channels of redress as Mbu cannot be judge and prosecutor in his own case.”
“The arrest and detention of Anekwe is therefore a calculated attempt to muscle the press and free speech in a democracy,” he added.
“And it does not appear to be an isolated case as a few months earlier, this same Mbu violently broke up the Bring-Back-the – Chibok- Girls Campaign on the basis of a non-existent law, drawing international condemnation of the government,” he further said.
Ozo-Eson, who emphasized that Mbu antecedents in Rivers State from where he was deployed to Abuja are not less sinister, said: “Rather than receive a reprimand, Mbu was rewarded with a choice posting and promotion, with not a few speculating that he is being positioned to be IGP.”
Source : Independent
