The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has condemned, in strongest terms, the unlawful arrest of a revered Igbo Traditional Leader, Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos, Eze Fredrick Nwajagu by the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigerian Police, Lagos State command.
The South-East apex socio-political youth group noted that such arrests occurred when people like the Lagos Motor Parks’ Management boss, MC Oluomo and his thugs threatening and executing their threats against Igbos living in Lagos, killing and attacking their businesses and properties are moving about freely.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Owerri, the Imo State capital by the President-General of COSEYL, Hon Goodluck Ibem, the group said the statement by the Igbo leader was made because of the silence of the security agencies towards the attack on the Igbos in Lagos.
He said: “The DSS and the police left the real cause of the problem to chase shadows”.
According to him, the same police and DSS that arrested Eze Fredrick Nwajagu and other innocent Igbos did not do anything when MC Oluomo and his thugs were killing and attacking Igbos and their properties in Lagos during and after the general elections.
“Now the person who intends to make a move to protect himself, you now went and arrested him, meaning that you want him to stand without doing anything and be killed. That is absolute balderdash. Only a tree will hear that they will cut him down tomorrow and he will still stand in the same place without making a move,” Ibem added.
He described it as disgraceful that the Lagos Police spokesman SP Benjamin Hundeyin said that he will resist any arrangement by the Igbos to protect themselves in Lagos when the same Police did nothing or will do nothing to protect the Igbos when MC Oluomo and his thugs were killing and attacking Igbos and their businesses in Lagos.
Ibem recalled that when MC Oluomo threatened to kill and attack Igbos who will come out to vote for candidates of their choice during the elections in Lagos which he fulfilled, the Police and the DSS did not arrest him nor stop the attacks.
He added that but just a mere statement by an Igbo leader to protect Igbo lives and properties in Lagos, the DSS and the Police suddenly know how to arrest because the person involved is an Igbo man.
The body warned both the DSS and the Police in Lagos State to stop attacking and maltreating the Igbos because Nigeria belongs to all of us.
He said: “No tribe is higher than the other in this country, enough is enough”.
He said: “When the attacks on the Igbos lasted in Lagos, the DSS and the Police kept silent, which is approval to the attacks against Igbos and their properties in Lagos”.
They demanded the immediate release of the revered Igbo Leader, Eze Fredrick Nwajagu, the leader of the Igbo community in the Ibashe riverine area of Lagos State, Eze Chinedu Mozie who was illegally detained by the police in Lagos after he challenged thugs for not allowing Igbos in the community to vote in the just-ended gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.
Chisom Kalu, Charity Hannah, Mike Nwokehia, Elizabeth Adenike, Joseph Agada, Sunday Awnunu, Omaji Oyegwra and Okeke Chinyere and other Igbos were illegally detained by the police because they wanted to cast their votes.
He said that the unlawful arrest of Igbos in Lagos by the DSS and the Police has demonstrated that they now take orders from thugs in Lagos State.
(Adapted from a report by Tribune)
