Nnewi youths protest continued detention of Ifeanyi Ubah by DSS

Youths  of  Nnewi community in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State trooped out in their large number to protest what they termed continued incarceration of their brother, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah,  by the officials of the Department of State Services, DSS.

The demonstration came on the heels of a seven-day ultimatum slammed on the federal government by the Campaign for Democracy, CD within which to release Ubah or be prepared to face an uprising that would come from a mobilised human rights groups.

The youths, under the aegis of “Nnewi Youth Forum”, carried placards and marched through all the quarters and major markets in the industrial city of Nnewi, chanting songs depicting anger.

As they march through the major markets in Nnewi, such as Agbaedo Spare Parts Market, New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkwo Major Market, Orie-Agbo Market, traders locked up their shops and joined in the solidarity march.

Inscriptions in some of the placards read: “DSS, obey court order”; “Please, take Ifeanyi Ubah to court, we are in a democratic state”; “This is democracy, not military rule”; “Is there no more respect for rule of law and human right in Nigeria?”; among others.

Addressing newsmen during the rally, the President-General of the group, Hon. Onyekwelu Udeze; flanked by the Secretary–General, Prince Ezenwa Nwachukwu, declared: “Nnewi Youth Forum has condemned in strong terms the continued detention of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah by the DSS, without trial not to talk of obeying court order”.

According to the market leaders, “We have watched with keen interest the harassment and detention of Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah by this National Security Agency over a business transaction with NNPC where both parties have claims and and concluded that it is now public knowledge that some persons or agencies have vowed to nail Ubah by all means”.

“They have pursued this agenda with vigour . These enemies of progress have not come to terms with the historic success and contributions of to the nation’s building, economic growth and job creation, particularly among the youths”.

“We condemn a situation where people are detained before investigations are carried out on the issue leading to their arrest. The refusal of DSS to respect a court order is unconstitutional and it thrives at the very foundation of our legal system. This breeds impunity, and no reasonable government will condone it”..

“We therefore wish to emphatically state that the DSS should obey court order and arraign Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah to court or release him without further delay”.

CD, in a press statement issued in Onitsha, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, said it was not expecting anything less than to release Ubah unconditionally before the expiration of the seven day ultimatum because according to CD, the allegations adduced for his arrest and detention were unfounded and idiotic.

CD contended that the federal government should in the alternative charge him to court if they felt that they had established a prima facie case against him, adding that Ubah’s continued  detention is a slap on the entire Igbo race.

“We see his detention as illegal and purportedly for his recent position to identify and stand as a surety for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB who was given a stringent bail conditions recently”.

CD  therefore warned that failure to release him after the seven day ultimatum it would mobilize the entire human rights orgs to press harder for his unconditional release, adding, enough is enough