A former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini has called for the release of popular activist and legal practitioner, Barrister Dele Farotimi.
Farotimi was apprehended by the Nigeria Police Force over allegation of defamation on Tuesday.
Reacting to the development, Igini urged the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to order the release of Farotimi.
He advised the police authority to be mindful of the reputational damage such actions like the arrest of Farotimi could wreck on its image.
He argued that the barrister’s arrest will destroy civic trust and loss of public confidence in the integrity of security agencies and their personnel.
The statement read: “The news of the arrest of Barr. Dele Farotimi by your men from Ekiti state command over alleged defamation came to Nigerians as a rude shock and indeed, unbelievable but true.
“I join the overwhelming calls by Nigerians all over the world for his immediate release. The manner of his arrest in Lagos and driven by road to far away Ekiti State has brought back the terrible memories of those years of military dictatorship when citizens were dumped in the trunk or butt of military vehicles and taken to various locations for detention and torture when patriotic and committed Nigerians were fighting for this democracy that is being messed up today by those who didn’t fight for it as well as those who made sacrifices for it at the time the the journey of Nigerian democracy was less certain.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by our Constitution, it must be respected and preserved in any functional democracy under the rule of law which is preferable to the rule of men no matter how magnanimous.
“The Nigeria police should not allow itself to be railroaded into taking up fight with citizens on behalf of fellow citizens over civil wrongs that are actionable and can be remedied in court of law.
“The police authority should be mindful of the reputational damage actions like this could wreck on its image given that it undermines, if not destroys civic trust and loss of public confidence in the integrity of security agencies and their personnel.
“If the due process of law to deal with civil wrongs are not followed, the practice of democracy in Nigeria will have no hopeful future.”