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Turning Laws And Democracy On Their Heads In Abia State By Yusuf Ozi-Usman

Yusuf Ozi-Usman
Yusuf Ozi-Usman

One is really at a loss to comprehend the macabre dance, albeit out of tune with the civilised world today, of Police in glorification of the “Lord” Governor of Abia state, Chief Theodor Orji, using outdated laws to shoot down one of the citizens of the state that happened to be vocal and allegedly wrote words that were not so pleasant to the ears of the governor.
The drama that played out on Friday last week when Policemen, owned and controlled by the federal government, blindly carried the instruction of the “Emperor” Governor. About 7 of them from the CID Department travelled all the way from Umuahia, the state capital, to Lagos, swooped on the residence of the outspoken Associate Editor of The Sun newspaper, Ebere Wabara, bundled him in handcuffs into their vehicle and drove off, like killing commandos, back to Umuahia, even before he was told what he did wrong.
It was as unbelievably baffling as it was eye-opener on the level of civilization the Police and, some of our leaders, have been able to imbibe in their systems so far, despite years of coming into the open world, from the stone age. All the moves, the arrests or abduction, the psychological and physical trauma which Wabara was subjected to happened just last week, in this computer age, when, as old Africa man would say “the day has broken!”
In all my years of practice as a writer and journalist, the only case I have heard similar to this incidence was that of Amakri in Rivers state. That incidence, of Amakri, of course, happened in what one would like to say “the darker” period of Nigeria’s civilization. And in any case, it was during a jackboot military era: the then crude military whose mental formation brooked no civilian insubordination and whose stock-in-trade was kill-and-go.
I had waited patiently to hear what type of charges the Police in Abia state would make against the “little rat” who as much as wrote in media to offend the “Emperor” Governor. When the charges came, it took the dangerous form of sedition, making even the matter to appear not only childish but copletely out-of-place and ignoramous.
The charges are, inter alia:
“That you Ebere Wabara ‘m’ on the 19th day of February, 2014 at Umuahia in Umuahia North Magisterial District, conspired with others, now at large, to commit offence to wit: seditious publication and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code cap 80 Vol. 3 Laws of Abia State of Nigeria 2005.
“That you Ebere Wabara ‘m’ and others now at large, on the 18th day of February 2014 in the aforesaid Magisterial District with intent to bring into hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Chief T.A Orji, did publish a seditious publication entitled: Buffoonery by Mezie Abia Organization in Sun Newspaper of 18th February, 2014 page 22, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 50 (2)(a) punishable under Section 5(1)(c) Cap 80 Vol. 3 Criminal Code Cap 80 Vol. 3 Laws of Abia State of Nigeria 2005.
“That you, Ebere Wabara ‘m’ and others now at large, on the 30th day of January 2014 in the aforesaid Magisterial District conspired to commit offence to wit: seditious publication and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 517 of the Criminal Code Cap 80 Vol. 3 Laws of Abia State of Nigeria 2005.
“That you, Ebere Wabara ‘m’ and others now at large, on the 30th day of January 2014 in the aforesaid Magisterial District with intent to bring hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the person of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Chief T.A Orji did publish a seditious publication entitled “T.A Orji Self Delusion” in the City Reporter, a daily publication also circulating within Umuahia North Magisterial District and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 50 (2)(a) and punishable under Section 51(1)(c) of the Criminal Code Cap 80 Vol. 3 Laws of Abia State of Nigeria.”
Wabara was also accused of sedition for publishing articles such as: “Demystify a Master Strategy”, “Go to Akwa Ibom, Weep for Abia”, “T.A. Orji’s 7 years Demystification of Kalu,” among others.
By all intent and purposes, all the charges put together point to only one direction; that is libel or defamation of Governor Orji (alleged) which is a civil case.
As a matter of fact, the charges are showing that Governor Orji is angry because the little Wabara had the guts to ‘abuse’ him on the pages of newspapers, and in law, it translates to libel, because it is an attack on Chief Orji and not Abia state. After all, Wabara would not have been charged for sedition if he did all the “offensive” writings against Governor Orji when he is out of office.
It is not very clear since when what is supposed to be clearly libel or defamation which is a civil matter, has suddenly become sedition in the Nigeria’s statute books? Who says that attack on the person of governor amounts to attack on the entire state? Has Abia state laws overshadowed Nigeria’s legal system or even the Constitution under which Democracy has been flourishing?
As a matter of fact, if President Goodluck Jonathan has had similar emotional fragility, people like Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nasir El-Rufai, Femi Fani Kayode, and many others who sometimes call him (Jonathan) uncomplimentary names in prominent and not-so prominent national and international media would have since been abducted, prosecuted for sedition and shot to death at stake, like common armed robbers.
In deed, people like some of us who have been campaigning for state-controlled police are definitely reversing our stand now, seeing the great danger and saddistic use to which some, if not all the governors would put the police.
The obvious manipulation of police, which, for now, are still exclusively under the control of the Federal Government, by the Abia state governor doesn’t speak well about the advancement in human civilization, in the Nigerian leadership context. This action of a single individual that is today, weilding absolute power, takes Nigeria back to the dark days in the history, and in a democrcy that has survived for about 15 years?
One would be kind to advise the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko, to withdraw his men from this show of executive brigandage, an ephemeral power, from whence the occupant would soon climb down to our level. There are a lot of security challenges facing the country, including Abia state, to which the few police in the system sould be put, for amelioration, away from the pleasure and privilege of a single person who has the wherewithal to sue for libel.
Without anyone looking into a crystal ball, it is clear that the case being pursued with all the hysteria by Abia state police at the behest of governor Orji, against Mr. Wabara, to say the least, is dead on arrival.
The worry is that it will leave in its trail, a foul air of executive arrogance and ingorant pursuance of self at the detriment of the good of the democratic ethos which has brought Nigeria in particular, from before the amalgamation of the protectorates!

5 COMMENTS

  1. why are we still on dis Wabara thing when we all know he worked with his former boss Kalu Orji, he’s just trying to paint an innocent Governor cos his former boss is not in good terms wit his Excellency, and him jumping bail is totally wrong abeg..

  2. i have been following this particular story and i have to say that for once, na the press dey fuck up for this matter. Shebi he is innocent? why did he jump bail even when he was given benefit of doubt? i am not saying it was glorious, the way he was arrested, be he did not help issues by junmping bail. please give the public both sides of the story as Mr Tobenna has suggested. And keep up the good work wiith this blog, i like your work

  3. Its really sad that the press is also playing dirty. So if el-rufai calls Jonathan, Jonathan, its bad? stop making silly comparisms please. this man used the media to accuse someone of murder, this man was also an aide to a former governor whom is now against the present governor, this man jumped bail some days ago and refused to appear in court, simply because he is afraid to admit the fact that he falsely accused someone of murder. please release both sides of the story and do NOT misinform the public, thanks

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