The early and ungodly hour arrest today of Citizens Daniel and
Timothy Elombah by the combined team of Federal and Anambra SARS
operatives is not only a clear justification of ongoing
frustrations expressed by the proponents of “scrap SARS campaign”
in Nigeria, but also dangerous crossing of the redlines of intra
policing responsibility and duty boundaries. That is to say that
journalism practice and exercise of right to freedom of expression
have nothing whatsoever in common with anti robbery operations in
Nigeria.
Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah; direct bothers, were
arrested between 5.30am and 6.am in the morning of today by the
named SARS operatives who stormed their ancestral house in Nnewi,
Anambra State in about two Hilux vans. By the findings of
Intersociety from the Elombah family, the callously sinister
operation, arrest and humiliation were conducted by SARS operatives
from Abuja (F/SARS) and joined by those of Anambra State attached
to Awkuzu, Nnewi and Ihiala. While the F/SARS operatives were about
three in number, signals were released from Anambra SARS
Headquarters at Awkuzu for more operatives to join them in the
blue hour sinister operation.
The total number of SARS operatives who participated in the
Gestapo operation is not less than ten. The Elombah’s family house
including their mother’s bungalow, were cordoned off, surrounded,
ransacked and thoroughly searched; after which two laptops and
smart phones belonging to the duo and other family members were
confiscated. The two brothers were arrested and humiliated before
their children, wives and aging mother and later taken away. Their
arresters made a brief stopover at the Nnewi SARS Annex, located at
the Nnewi North Local Government Area Headquarters; from where
another stopover was made at the Awkuzu SARS Headquarters.
It was from there that the two brothers were taken away by their
captors and headed towards Enugu by road en-route Abuja most likely
by air. Other than saying to the hearing of disguised family member
at Awkuzu that “it is a F/SARS operation directed by the IGP
himself”, the duo’s captors kept mute and refused to inform the
Elombah’s family especially their two wives who were with their
husbands when the Gestapo operation commenced; of reasons and
persons or authorities behind the arrest and accompanied
humiliation. No written note or oral information pertaining to same
was given or handed to the family till date.
Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah are leading and respected
journalists and online publishers in Nigeria; published via
Elombah.News.Com. Citizen Daniel is also a holder of LLM and known
legal practitioner in the United Kingdom where he lives, while his
younger brother-Timothy runs their online publishing outfit in
Abuja, Nigeria.
We therefore wonder when journalists and journalism have become
armed robbers and offense of armed robbery in Nigeria; warranting
the use of personnel of Federal and State Anti Robbery Squads to
bundle the two innocent and unarmed Nigerians from their sleep; in
a manner reminiscent of operations against dare devil armed robbery
suspects in the hideouts.
We further query the rationale behind the arrest and humiliation
of innocent Nigerians on a national public holiday or nationally
proclaimed hours of the blue law; especially when they are not
“fleeing terrorists, armed robbery suspects, coupists or
insurrectionists and asportationists or kidnappers”. The Nigerian
Union of Journalists is called upon not to allow such tyrannical
onslaughts against practicing journalists in the country to be
swept under the carpet and rise in strong condemnation of same.
We hereby firmly demand for immediate and unconditional release
of Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah from the Abuja dudgeon of
Nigeria’s Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (F/SARS). The blunders
of the operatives of F/SARS and their presumed instigator/recruiter
(IGP) as above highlighted; leading to arrest and humiliation of
the duo have expressly rendered whatever intended reasons for their
arrest grossly inconsistent and incoherent with the provisions of
Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution especially its Fundamental Human Rights
provisions.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of
Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: botchairman@intersociety-ng.org
Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq., LLB, BL
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Program
Email: igboeliobianuju@gmail.com
The early and ungodly hour arrest today of Citizens Daniel and
Timothy Elombah by the combined team of Federal and Anambra SARS
operatives is not only a clear justification of ongoing
frustrations expressed by the proponents of “scrap SARS campaign”
in Nigeria, but also dangerous crossing of the redlines of intra
policing responsibility and duty boundaries. That is to say that
journalism practice and exercise of right to freedom of expression
have nothing whatsoever in common with anti robbery operations in
Nigeria.
Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah; direct bothers, were
arrested between 5.30am and 6.am in the morning of today by the
named SARS operatives who stormed their ancestral house in Nnewi,
Anambra State in about two Hilux vans. By the findings of
Intersociety from the Elombah family, the callously sinister
operation, arrest and humiliation were conducted by SARS operatives
from Abuja (F/SARS) and joined by those of Anambra State attached
to Awkuzu, Nnewi and Ihiala. While the F/SARS operatives were about
three in number, signals were released from Anambra SARS
Headquarters at Awkuzu for more operatives to join them in the
blue hour sinister operation.
The total number of SARS operatives who participated in the
Gestapo operation is not less than ten. The Elombah’s family house
including their mother’s bungalow, were cordoned off, surrounded,
ransacked and thoroughly searched; after which two laptops and
smart phones belonging to the duo and other family members were
confiscated. The two brothers were arrested and humiliated before
their children, wives and aging mother and later taken away. Their
arresters made a brief stopover at the Nnewi SARS Annex, located at
the Nnewi North Local Government Area Headquarters; from where
another stopover was made at the Awkuzu SARS Headquarters.
It was from there that the two brothers were taken away by their
captors and headed towards Enugu by road en-route Abuja most likely
by air. Other than saying to the hearing of disguised family member
at Awkuzu that “it is a F/SARS operation directed by the IGP
himself”, the duo’s captors kept mute and refused to inform the
Elombah’s family especially their two wives who were with their
husbands when the Gestapo operation commenced; of reasons and
persons or authorities behind the arrest and accompanied
humiliation. No written note or oral information pertaining to same
was given or handed to the family till date.
Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah are leading and respected
journalists and online publishers in Nigeria; published via
Elombah.News.Com. Citizen Daniel is also a holder of LLM and known
legal practitioner in the United Kingdom where he lives, while his
younger brother-Timothy runs their online publishing outfit in
Abuja, Nigeria.
We therefore wonder when journalists and journalism have become
armed robbers and offense of armed robbery in Nigeria; warranting
the use of personnel of Federal and State Anti Robbery Squads to
bundle the two innocent and unarmed Nigerians from their sleep; in
a manner reminiscent of operations against dare devil armed robbery
suspects in the hideouts.
We further query the rationale behind the arrest and humiliation
of innocent Nigerians on a national public holiday or nationally
proclaimed hours of the blue law; especially when they are not
“fleeing terrorists, armed robbery suspects, coupists or
insurrectionists and asportationists or kidnappers”. The Nigerian
Union of Journalists is called upon not to allow such tyrannical
onslaughts against practicing journalists in the country to be
swept under the carpet and rise in strong condemnation of same.
We hereby firmly demand for immediate and unconditional release
of Citizens Daniel and Timothy Elombah from the Abuja dudgeon of
Nigeria’s Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (F/SARS). The blunders
of the operatives of F/SARS and their presumed instigator/recruiter
(IGP) as above highlighted; leading to arrest and humiliation of
the duo have expressly rendered whatever intended reasons for their
arrest grossly inconsistent and incoherent with the provisions of
Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution especially its Fundamental Human Rights
provisions.
Signed:
For: Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of
Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair
Mobile Line: +2348174090052
Email: botchairman@intersociety-ng.org
Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Esq., LLB, BL
Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Program
Email: igboeliobianuju@gmail.com