Amnesty Condemns Deji Adeyanju, Others’ Arrest, Detention

Amnesty International has condemned the arrest of an activist and convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju; Daniel Abobama and Boma Williams, and detention in Keffi prisons, Nasarawa State, for protesting against alleged partisanship by the police.

The three accused persons had led a protest against the police to the Force headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, for sealing the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, when they were picked up and hastily arraigned in court.

The Nigerian chapter of Amnesty International, on its verified Twitter account, @AmnestyNigeria, said, “Arrest of @adeyanjudeji by @PoliceNG is an appalling sign of increasing shrinking of civic space in #Nigeria. Protest is a human right. #FreeDejiNow”

The protesters were charged with criminal conspiracy, public nuisance, disturbance of public peace, and threat to public security and safety, criminal defamatory and derogatory conduct against constituted authority and breach of law and order under Sections 96, 113, 114, 152, 183 and 391 of the Penal Code.

The accused persons were, however, granted bail by the presiding Magistrate, Aliu Kagarko, but could not immediately meet the conditions, which included two sureties, one of whom must be a level 14 civil servant with a cover letter from his superior, and also a businessman with a verified address.

They were subsequently taken to Keffi prisons by the police after they failed to provide the sureties.