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Kenneth Uwadi |
02/05/14
From
YAHVCP South-South Zone
Choba,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Tel:
08037982714
E-mail:
yvcp@gmail.com
To Civil
Liberties Organization
13
Soji Adepegba Close
Off
Allen Avenue - Ikeja
Lagos
Nigeria
Harassment,
Intimidation And Victimization Of Comrade Kenneth Uwadi And His
Family By The Imo State House Of Assembly : A Call For Assistance
The
Youths Against Human Rights Violation And Corrupt Practices
(YAHVCP) wish to inform you and the general
public about the harassment , victimization and intimidation of our
national coordinator Comrade Kenneth Uwadi and members of his family by
police officers of Egbema police station. Some of the police
officers have alleged that the order to harass Uwadi came from the Imo House of
Assembly Speaker. It is no secret that Uwadi has been a strong critic of
the Imo State House of Assembly which has been run under the dark by Rt
Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu. He has been under the vigilance of the Imo House
of Assembly on account of his doggedness in fighting
corruption in the House , which the House dubbed as working for his
pay-masters to distract them.
The
first attempt to arrest Uwadi was the March 8th 2014 invasion
of his residence in Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema LGA of
Imo State Nigeria by armed uniformed police officers from the
Egbema Police Station. The invaders stormed his place in a crude
military-like assault asking for him and ransacking his place but
he was not at home. The second attempt was on the 28th of April
2014 . They came asking for him and attempted arresting his father Chief
Vitus Uwadi who is a retired police officer. They also came again on the 30th
of April 2014 and on the 2nd of May 2014 and harassed Chief Uwadi
attempting to bundle him into their van but were resisted by youths of Mmahu.
The Speaker’s praise singers and aides are even boasting
on the social media about how they will
jail the blogger, columnist and human rights activist via a stage managed
court.
YAHVCP
see all these intimidation, harassment and victimization of Uwadi and his
family as breaching the part of the Nigerian Constitution which allows
all citizens open-power of expression and denying journalists,
columnists ,bloggers and activists their freedom of
expression on both Local, State and National government issues.
We believe that Uwadi and Rt Hon Uwajumogu don't have
any personal squabbles, but on governance transparency. We will not be
intimidated.
A
Legislative House as you know, is often referred to as a hallowed place -
hallowed, not because GOD inhabits it; hallowed because it is expected to make
laws for the common good of the generality of the people. And as an institution
entrusted with such a sacred task, any of its operator – whether civil servant
or politician – should be, as the Holy Scriptures say in Psalms 24 verse 4,
“one who has clean hands and a pure heart and who has not lifted up his
soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”
But
we were immensely shocked to read in the newspapers how the Speaker looted Imo
State monies via road contract scam and used the money to acquire eye popping
mansions all over. Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha the man who blew the
whistle on corruption in the Imo House of Assembly is also being ridiculed and
victimized by the Speaker and his aides and ostracized by the
Imo state government authorities. Funny enough, Iwuoha was a former
media aide to the Speaker.
As
a Youth group with one of its core objectives of assisting in solving societal
problems, including the eradication of corruption, we quickly investigated the
allegations and eventually found it to be true. We even took pictures of
some of the buildings and the roads constructed by the Speaker’s company.We
also discovered that since the last thirty six months that Rt
Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu was stamped into office as Speaker by
a band of rough necks it is manifestly clear of a complete flight of good
legislative laws in the Imo House of Assembly such that a bill was passed
legalizing abortion in the state and what is in place in the house now
is mindless looting of the Imo treasury via road contract scams.
Only
one man in the State has stolen over N3billion naira Imo tax payers
money and they want us to keep quite. One man has stolen over
N3billion naira In a state where more than 80 percent of the population
do not have access to potable/pipe-borne water supply, and where tertiary
institutions in the state have no functional ICT facilities. N3 billion can at
least lay some pipes for water supply for some areas in Imo State where
potable pipe-borne water supply has been non-existent for years. The money can
even procure farm inputs and equipments for Imo farmers.
YAHVCP
is calling on the Imo House of Assembly members to impeach the
Speaker Rt Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu immediately for corruption . Due to the
plethora of scandals and long train of abuses of legislative powers and
corruption surrounding him , he is now unfit to lead
the House and should be removed. Right now 15,321(fifteen thousand
three hundred and twenty one ) Imo citizens drawn from the 27 LGA of the
state have signed our Impeach Imo Speaker’s petition and we will
send copies to the house via DHL..
We
will not succumb to any manner of intimidation and victimization.The Speaker
should go on with his Abacha like style of intolerance to the
truth and his war against free speech and war against the press fully backed by
his thieving cabals in the Imo State House of Assembly
but we will continue to tell them to stop looting Imo State
monies. Nigeria is practicing democracy, not dictatorship. Anyone ordering for
the arrest and trial of any Journalist, blogger or activists in
Nigeria can't be described better than he or she is a dictator. Comrade
Uwadi is not a terrorist, but a columnist, blogger and activist , clear
headed and objective in the course of transparent writing. We know that history
has never been merciful to any person or government whose stock-in-trade is dictatorship.
Interestingly
while this Abacha style of hounding crept into Imo, some politicians and
leaders of Imo State rather than condemn and take a position against
corruption are behaving as if it is none of their business, yes to
them, it is a Kenneth Uwadi and a Samuelson Iwuoha’s affair yet
many of them are currently jostling to govern the State in 2015. They are
afraid to speak against corruption in the state yet they want to rule the
state.
YAHVCP
is calling on the human rights community in Nigeria and
abroad and Imo people in Nigeria and abroad to come to our
aid as we fight this corruption in the Imo House of Assembly. We are also
seeking legal backings from human rights lawyers as we head to the court
to shame corruption in the Imo House of assembly. The above demand has become
necessary in our quest to restore the dignity which the Imo House of Assembly
has lost to corruption. Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta.
Signed:
Kenneth
Uwadi
YAHVCP
National Coordinator
Amaka
Didanda
YAHVCP
Media Affairs Director
Comrade Weli
Chinda
YAHVCP
South-South Coordinator
Copies
to:
International
Human Rights Law Group, Centre for Free Speech, Centre for Justice, Democracy
and Human Rights in Nigeria, International Federation of Lawyers, Civil Liberty
Organization, Civil Rights Concern, International Federation of Women Lawyers, Human
Rights Network (HURINET),Human Development Foundation of Nigeria, Human
Development Initiative, Human Rights & Development Education Center, Human
Rights & Empowerment Project, Human Rights Africa, Human Rights Law Service
(Hurilaws),Human Rights Monitor, Campaign for Child Right (CFCR),Campaign for
Democracy (CD),Center for Advancement of Democracy and the rule of Law
(CADRL),Centre for Democracy & Human Rights (CDHR),Integrated Development
Services (IDS) ,Due Process Advocates, Action for Nigeria Integrity and
Protection Network, Advocacy Committee Against Hunger (ACAH),Women for
Democracy& Leadership, Women's Right Action Group, League of Human rights, Leadership
Watch, Legal Watch Organization, Amazon Watch, Human Rights watch, Amnesty
International, Anti-Slavery International, Article 19,Avocats Sans Frontières, Breakthrough
(human rights),Carter Center, CCJO René Cassin, Center for Economic and Social
Rights, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian law, Centre on Housing Rights
and Evictions (COHRE),Committee to Protect Journalists ,Commonwealth Human
Rights Initiative, Crypto Rights Foundation, Cultural Survival, Disabled
Peoples' International, Enough Project, Ensemble contre la peine de mort, Equality
Now, Every Human Has Rights, Forum 18,Free the Slaves, Freedom from Torture, Freedom
House, Freedom Later on after Dinner, Friends of Peoples Close to Nature, Society
for Threatened Peoples, GIRCA, Global Rights, Global Youths for Human Rights
Group, Global Peace Promoters, Habitat International Coalition, Helsinki
Committee for Human Rights, Helsinki Watch, Hindu American Foundation, Hindu
Human Rights, Hirschfeld Eddy Foundation, Human Life International, Human
Rights Internet, Human Rights Defence, Human Rights First, Human Rights
Foundation.
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