Nigeria Content Online

The state chairman of the Action
Congress of Nigeria in Cross River State, Cletus Obun yesterday accused
the police of being selective. Speaking yesterday in Calabar the state
capital, Mr Obun said the police have so far arrested six members of
the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). All six were accused of aiding
electoral malpractices in the just-concluded general elections.

Mr Obun, however,
said that while security operatives, have arrested members of his party
across the state, they have ignored calls by the opposition to arrest
members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, who were seen flouting
electoral rules.

“Since April 28 to
date six ACN candidates and members have been hunted and arrested by
[the] army and detained in different police cells across the state,” he
said.

Mr Obun is also
puzzled that the suspects are yet to be charged to court, more than 48
hours after their arrest, prompting him to ask if the country’s laws
have been amended. This is because, suspects are not to be detained for
more than 48 hours upon arrest without being arraigned.

He revealed that
the ACN deputy governorship candidate, David Okon and Ekpo Adah, the
party’s House of Assembly candidate for Akamkpa, who were arrested by
the police in the state on April 26, and they were held until May 3
before being granted bail on self recognition.

“The deputy governorship candidate and House of Assembly candidate were released on bail at 8pm yesterday (Tuesday),” he said.

‘Spurious allegations’

Mr Obun added that
the police were still on the trail of more party members over what he
described as spurious allegations and appealed to the police and other
security agencies to address the situation in order to avoid violence.

“The known
hospitality of our people is now wantonly abused. I hereby call on
Governor Liyel Imoke to take full responsibility for the situation as
the chief security officer of the state to forestall breakdown of law
and order.

“Nigerians and the
international community,” he said, “are celebrating the fall of the
father of modern terrorism [Osama Bin Laden] yet Cross Riverians are
fed a fresh dose of Gestapo regime. We in ACN call for a stop to this
cowardly display of desperation.”

But the state police public relations
officer, Etim Dickson, denied knowledge of the arrest and promised to
ascertain the veracity of the allegation.