A civil rights movement, Concerned
Citizens for Nation Building, on Sunday, March 5, 2017 the arrest and
detention of the National Commandant of Peace Corps of Nigeria, Dickson
Akoh, by the police, advising him to “proceed to court and claim N100
billion damages.”
The youth organisation criticised the
garrison manner the police acted and warned that “should it happen
against, the police will face the wrath of the Nigerian youth.”
The CCNB expressed surprise that the
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris could deny existence of PCN,
despite the flurry of legal pronouncements and adjudications on its
legality in different courts of competent jurisdiction.
“We hereby advised the IGP to
immediately withdraw his denial of knowledge of existence of the Peace
Corps of Nigeria. Lovers of Nigeria must do everything possible to
maintain law and order instead of heating up the polity”, CCNB stated.
The Convener of CCNB, Alfa Nma, at a
press briefing in Abuja, advised Akoh to seek redress in court and claim
N100 billion damages for the violation of his fundamental human rights.
According to him, the arrest,
maltreatment, detention and subsequent parading of officials and members
of the Peace Corps of Nigeria was an abuse of power by the police
authorities.
He said, “We condemn the gestapo-like
invasion, arrest, manhandling and detention of Akoh by the police
authorities which we see as an abuse in the use of power. The manner it
was carried out was never witnessed during the military era. We are not
in dictatorship, Nigeria is not a banana republic where anything
happens.
“As an organisation which believes in
the law as the supreme instrument of social engineering, the Concerned
Citizens for Nation Building, is hereby advising the National Commandant
of Peace Corps of Nigeria to teach the police a lesson and seek redress
in court by claiming N100 billion damages for the assault, criminal
invasion of his privacy and fundamental human rights.”
The youth organisation advised the
Nigerian Police to be more concerned about maintaining the existing
peace in the country instead of carrying out actions capable of
heightening tension.
Nma described as “disheartening” the
comment by the IGP that the Nigeria Police Force was not aware of the
existence of the Peace Corps of Nigeria, and wondered why he could make
such claim when at the recent Armed Forces Remembrance Day (January
2017), PCN was highly represented on their full regalia.
He said, “Even the National commandant
had a photograph with the IGP. Moreover, the presence of the
organisation had been recognised by the harmonised passage of its Bill
into law by the National Assembly.
“It is worthy of note that the Nigeria
Police Force through the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID),
issued a clearance to the Peace Corps of Nigeria in 2008 and in 2009.
The then Commissioner of Police (Legal Department) issued another
clearance certifying the Peace Corps of Nigeria of all its activities.
“It is on record that the Nigeria Police
Force have always been against sinister organisations that have sprang
up like in the case of the Nigeria State Security Services, Federal Road
Safety Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and most
recently Peace Corps of Nigeria which presence is already being felt in
schools and colleges nationwide.
“Why is the IGP now saying that the
Peace Corps of Nigeria and its activities is not known to the police? We
hereby advised the IGP to immediately withdraw his denial of knowledge
of existence of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and as well, sieve his threat
on court action which was the right and best thing to have been done
considering the numerous court judgements rather than the garrison
manner the police acted or face the wrath of the Nigerian youth.”
The youth organisation said it was
imperative for people to stand up and defend the sovereignty of Nigeria
especially, “at this time that President Muhammadu Buhari is on medical
vacation.”
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