Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole says handcuffing embattled National
Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh to court by prison officials
yesterday January 19th, was in order. He said this while speaking at the
council members of the Edo state chapter of the Nigerian Union of
Journalist NUJ yesterday January 20th
“I want to appeal to the media to join President Buhari in fighting the
anti-corruption war because if we don’t, and we allow these people to
harass the president to silence, all of us are in trouble. I saw some
headlines querying why should Metuh be in handcuffs.
If people who steal he-goats, dried grass cutters are
in handcuffs; I have been to the police station several times and I see
young men who rob not more than N500,000 naira in handcuffs, they are
paraded and made to seat on the floor. Why should certain set of
criminals be treated as if they are not suspected criminals and serious
crimes at that? When you all reported lavishly how under the former
president, the former defense chief set up a military tribunal to try
soldiers who ran away from battle field and they were condemned to
death, it was only Femi Falana who was consistent in fighting their
case. Those are Nigerians who were to be killed for running away because
they couldn’t confront a Boko Haram that was well armed while they were
asked to go and fight with their bare hands and we were told that
weapons, ammunitions and everything had been provided. When Borno
Governor said, ‘look, our Armed Forces are fighting with bare hands’, he
was told to shut up. Now it is clear from current revelations that the
money that would have been used to arm these young men who joined the
army with pride and who on a good day have the courage to fight not only
at home but abroad, but because they didn’t have arms, they ran away.
They were sentenced to death. Thanks to Buhari, some have been commuted
now to various terms of imprisonment which I applaud and I think even
that one should further be reviewed, they should summit their uniform
but remain free people. Now, those who shared that money, this is not
the usual security money, this is special appropriation to fight Boko
Haram, $2.1 billion, people just shared it, everybody was using their
son, co-opting young children into this while other people’s children
were sentenced to death. And anybody who partakes in that and they put
him in handcuffs, they say, why should he be in handcuff because he is
an elite and the media will report it without also showing us pictures
of some Nigerians whose fathers are not known, but are not less Nigerian
than any of us, who are always not only in handcuffs but are put on the
floor in various police stations and paraded even before they are
charged to court and we all look at them and turn to the next pictures,
it doesn’t attract a commentary. Why should some criminals just be
celebrated even when we all can feel the amount of damage, the
consequences of their rascality on our collective wellbeing. I think the
media should support the President. This is not President Buhari’s
fight, and you know he had reminded us that if we don’t kill corruption,
it will kill us. Now corruption is fighting back"he said
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