Sahara Reporters obtained the protest letter signed by
Bashir Shuwa and Aliyu Biu.Two journalists who wrote
a letter of protest over what they describe as the
"maltreatment and humiliation" of some Borno State
officials when they were summoned to the State House
by Pres. Jonathan on Saturday May 3rd and Sunday
May 4th
Read:
“We the undersigned wish to register our total protest
to the President, and Commander in Chief of the Armed
Forces of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria. President
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan over the degrading
manner in which Borno State Government officials
were chastised and reduced to nothing by the
Presidency. Continue...
“Last week Friday, on May 2nd, 2014, the President
appeared to have cause to invite key Borno State
Government officials together with some Federal
Government functionaries to the Presidential Villa over
the abduction of the more than two hundred school
girls at the Government Girls Secondary School Chibok,
Borno State three weeks ago.
“Those invited included His Excellency, the Executive
Governor of Borno State, the Honourable Kashim
Shettima, the State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji
Inuwa Kubo, the State Commissioner of Police, and the
State Director of the Department of State Security
Services. Others are, the Principal of Government Girls
Secondary School Chibok, the Chairman of the Chibok
Local Government Council, and the Division Police
Officer of Chibok, as well as the Chief Security Officer
of the school.
“Upon their arrival at the Presidential Villa, on
Saturday, May 3rd, 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan
personally interrogated these key officials, from 9 PM
to 2 AM, as if all the official information relayed to him
by his security apparatus in Borno, was meaningless,
unreliable and suspicious.
“At the end of interrogation, President Goodluck
Jonathan handed over these officials to the Inspector
General of Police, with the clear instructions to do his
job. These officials were then driven to the Force
Headquarters where they were detained, and made to
make written statements on how the girls were
abducted, and later, released on bail on self
recognition, as if they were directly, or indirectly,
responsible for the abduction of their own children.
“The following Sunday, May 4th, 2014, they were
again taken to the Villa at 5 PM for further
interrogation, and this time by the First Lady, Dame
Patience Jonathan. While at the Villa, they remained
standing for four hours, after which, they were ushered
into the First Lady’s chambers. It was there where they
were treated to verbal assaults, as to the veracity of
their claims on how the school-girls were abducted, to
the admiration of her cheer leaders, including the
president of market women association, and Ms.
Onyeka Onwenu, as well as some members of the
Northern Governors Wives Association, who were
present.
“One would have expected that the First Lady would
have sympathized with these government officials for
the traumatic events they went through, but
unfortunately, they were subjected to all sorts of
embarrassing humiliation. The sum total of the First
Lady’s vituperations appeared to be directed toward
negativity, and substituting fact with fiction, in order to
give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Also there
were attempts made to play on religious sentiments, an
attempt that failed woefully, having realized that the
girls abducted came from various religious groups.
“As if that was not enough, the First Lady made a
number of threatening remarks, including the order to
security officials to arrest some women protesters, and
shouting down on the State Director of State Security
Services, and other officials, whom she allegedly
labeled as “Boko Haram sympathizers.” She also
ordered all of the officials to resign their appointments
forthwith, on their return to their respective duty posts.
“This is highly unfortunate, and totally unacceptable,
because the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria (as amended,) has not mentioned, or given
any clearly defined responsibility, or role, or power to
First Ladies to issue such directives. Nor is there any
constitutional amendment to the First Lady to exercise
the powers of the State Chief, or executive, directly, or
indirectly, or otherwise in matters of governance. The
Nigerian First Ladies are enjoying the current privileges
courtesy of their husbands’ position.
“This official highhandedness exhibited by Dame
Patience Jonathan, is primitive and unconstitutional,
and therefore totally unacceptable. Similarly, the
president (will) also need to clarify the grounds on
which he ordered the detention and interrogation of
the key government officials from Borno State, who
were equally victims of the insurgency in Borno State by
the Boko Haram.
“In view of the foregoing, we call on the International
Community to ask President Goodluck Jonathan to
explain to the world why he appeared to have doubts,
as the security information sent to him by his own
security apparatus, and (had) decided to descend on
Borno State Government Officials.
“If he has any doubt on such reports, are the Borno
State Government Officials who did [not issue] these
official security reports going to be held responsible
and asked to clarify what they have not written and
reported? To us the sum total action of the presidency
tantamount to blaming the victim, hence the purpose of
our protest.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Borno State govt officials frowns at Goodluck Jonathan of detaining them in an open letter
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