The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of a youth activist and the national president of National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, Ikenga Ugochinyere who was arrested by agents of the country’s secret police, the State Security Services, SSS, also known as DSS.
Ugochinyere was arrested and his office broken into by sledge hammer-wielding DSS operatives, who stormed his private office at about 2a.m. in the Garki area of Abuja.
The CNPP in a statement on Saturday, December 24, 2016 signed by its secretary general, Willy Ezugwu, said “it is disturbing that the DSS has made its Gestapo style operation a routine modus operandi since the arrest of judicial officers, even when it is unnecessary.
“The DSS should be reminded that Nigeria is still under a civil rule and in a democracy, and not a military junta, where citizens are intimidated and harassed at will by agents of government.
“From available information, at no time was the young, an enterprising youth activist, decline any invitation by the service to warrant his arrest at the wee hours of the night”, the CNPP said.
The CNPP, according to the statement, “is reminding Nigerians that this was the style of President Muhammadu Buhari government in the 80s as a military Head of State.
“We therefore wonder if this is an extension of that military regime where citizens are whisked away at will.
“What Nigerians should know is that unless the appetite the government’s agent of coercion is tamed, it will derail Nigeria’s democracy.
“While we call on the international community and lovers of democracy to take note of the anti-democratic tendencies of this administration, we demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Ikenga, who is being arrested for the second time this year.
“He was arrested in May this year and detained by DSS for one month and later released without any charge till date. This act is condemnable, an act of intimidation and we condemn it in its entirety”, the CNPP stated.
Horrific Audio Recording of the Arrest
A youth activist familiar with the arrest of Ikenga Ugochinyere, who didn’t wish to be named for fear of arrest and torture, recounted the operation to The Trent providing a secretly recorded audio tape which provides a glimpse into the brutal nature of the national youth leader’s arrest by the secret police.
“Early hours of yesterday being 23rd December 2016 around 1am, the private office of Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere (president of national youth council of nigeria and special assistant to the senate president) located here in Abuja was attacked by heavily armed and masked DSS operatives.
“The office door burglary proof was pulled down with sledgehammer and Ikenga was abducted along side with his driver and two of his staff.
“Some of his office files and equipment carted away by the DSS agents.
“The information reaching us said that they were beaten with iron bar to a pulp and Ikenga was unconscious when they put them in their vehicle and drove away around 5.30am.
“This is the recorded voice of Ikenga and his staff screaming in pains when they were beating them.”
