Edo Activists, CSO Condemn Arrest Of Abure

Some members of the civil society group in Benin City in solidarity have condemned what they described as yet another police brutality meted against the national chairman of the Labour party, Barrister Julius Abure.

Abure was arrested on Wednesday evening by the assistant inspector general of police, (AIG) Zone 5, Benin, City Edo State, Mr Arungwa Nwazule. He was later released in the early hours of yesterday. .

The AIG said Abure, the Edo State chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi and three others were arrested for “conspiracy, brutal assault, attempted murder, armed robbery, grievous harm and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.”

Reacting to Abure’s ordeal, Barrister Abraham Oviawe said all Nigerians of good conscience must rise and condemned the way and manner the national chairman of the LP was arrested in a gestapo-like manner adding that an injury to one is an injury to all.

He said, “I am not a member of the Labour Party, we saw the chairman of the party being harassed over an allegation which took place while he was not in Nigeria. We are very disturbed that a man who enjoys such a position is deserving of an invitation, he is known, his address is not spurious.

“We equally condemned that attack on the petitioner but we feel that to correct what has been done wrong to the petitioner is not to create another problem. We feel that the national chairman of the Labour party deserves an apology. We know that the Police and its collaborators at the appropriate time will pay for the damage done.”

Also, the duo of Marxist Kola Edokpayi and Comrade Olu Martins called on Nigerians to condemn the inhuman treatment meted against Abure as crude and unintelligence and ludicrous.

Martin said, “What happened to intelligence? The Police must do whatever it can do to redeem its image. Democracy thrives on the rule of law and not on whims and caprices of anybody.