Police Free Melaye, Charly Boy, Others

Posted by admin Headlines, Nigerian Police Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command yesterday released the former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, foremost entertainer Charly Boy, Ezenwa Nwagwu and five others who were detained for protesting against federal government’s withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

Briefing journalists after their release, Melaye, who led the protest, said no amount of intimidation, blackmail or hardship will stop them from championing the battle to salvage the country from what ‘economic scavengers and cankerworms’.

He said that they were going back to the streets and would not rest until government revert the price of fuel to N65.

The lawmaker further stated that they were released after being taken to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, who communicated with President Goodluck Jonathan from whom he received the order to release the protesters.

He, however, disclosed that the police charged him and his colleagues of trying to overthrow the government of the day with armoured tanks and other weapons, adding that he had written in his statement asking the authorities to produce the weapons found in his possession at the time of his arrest.

The former lawmaker also lamented that the anti-robbery squad, which carried out the arrest them, kept them in the same cell with suspected armed robbers and some suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.

The chairman of the Labour Civil Society Coalition (LCSC), FCT Chapter, Mr Ezenwa Nwagua, said that it was unfortunate that what was supposed to be a peaceful compilation of names in protest of the fuel subsidy removal ended up as a mob action. He blamed the Commandant of the Brigade of Guards at the Villa for the incident which resulted in one of the protesters being shot in his hand, alongside the use of tear gas on the crowd.

-Leadershipwp_posts