By Senate President, Saraki Calls On Buhari To Direct Release Of Political Critic, Deji Adeyanju
Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Olubukola Saraki has called on the President, Muhammadu Buhari to direct the immediate release of Deji Adeyanji who have been in Police detention for weeks.
Senator Saraki in his statement, signed by his Special Advice on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu noted that the continued hold on Deji by the Police is portraying the present administration as an intolerant of criticisms.
While canvassing for Deji’s release, Saraki also urged President Buhari to ensure that the fundamental Human Rights of the victim should not be abused by the Police because he is a political critic as he noted that the case was more political than judicial.
He stated that a situation where Adeyanju was arrested after leading a protest in Abuja and sundry charges were filed against him while he was re-arrested after being given bail by a court indicated a deliberate attempt to get him out of circulation.
“The way the matter has been handled and the last decision of the Magistrate Court to remand the young man in prison till after the conclusion of the 2019 Polls has presented our democracy in bad light. We are now looking like a country that has receded to the period of military rule.
“The President needs to intervene to find out whether the current travail of Deji Adeyanju has anything to do with his frequently expressed viewpoints against the Federal Government and why his arrest after leading a protest has now ignited all the various charges being filed against him and if it was true that the charges for which he has been remanded in prison till February had actually being adjudicated upon by the High Court.
“It should be noted that prior to the coming to office of this government, those of us in opposition, the APC, freely criticized the Goodluck Jonathan government and flayed their actions and statements without any attempt by the administration to stifle opposing views. This administration which benefitted from such open market place of ideas, which is a key tenet of a democratic regime, cannot offer anything less to our people.
“At this point, President Buhari should not allow the excesses and over-zealousness of some security agents to give his government a bad name and that is why I think he should interfere and let the world know the truth about this case. It is obvious that this case is purely political and not about any judicial action. I also call on all human rights protection groups to wade into this matter and ensure we do not watch helplessly as the rights of a citizen is being trampled upon”, Saraki stated.
