Okorocha Orders Protesting Grandmothers Be Detained And Charged For Treason
The protesting grandmothers who had hit the streets of Owerri, the capital of Imo State recently to protest the continued detention of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra [IPOB], Prince Nnamdi Kanu were arrested by the security forces and detained in police custody.
On Monday, the detained grandmothers were presented to court. They were presented AT THE Magistrate court in Owerri where the magistrate declined jurisdiction to grant them bail because they were supposedly charged with offences beyond her jurisdiction, offence of conspiracy to commit treasonable felony under section 41 c of the Criminal code, as such ordered them to be remanded in prison custody pending advice from DPP IMO State.
247ureports.com gathered the prosecutor withdrew two counts charges bothering on belonging to (IPOB) proscribed organization. This was following argument presented by Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor on the pending appeal in respect of the same order was taken by the court.
The counsel defending the detained grandmothers, Ifeanyi Ejiofor told 247ureports.com that he “will be filing application for their bail on Thursday this week, before the IMO state high court that has jurisdiction to entertain the frivolous charge”.
The counsel continued to query the ridiculousness of the case against the protesting grandmothers. “How can the government accused aged and nursing mothers of planning to overthrow the government of the day by this very charge? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?”
The counsel stated that the police officers were merely acting a script pointed direct blame at the governor of Imo State for directing the arrest and continued detention of the grandmothers.
“Mothers who were merely exercising their constitutional guaranteed rights to freedom of Assembly provided for under section 40 of the constitution. By the very rally the mothers conducted, they were merely protesting about their unjust, unfair and inequitable treatment and consequently demanding that the leader of IPOB (Nnamdi Kanu) who was kidnapped in his home on the 14th day of September 2017 be produced by Government”.
Ejiofor referred to the charges as merely concocted to ensure that the women are detained in prison custody.
Meanwhile family members have been banned from visiting and feeding the grandmothers in detention.
Family members and IPOB activists who visited IPOB detained Women remanded in Owerri Prisons, were banned and forced to go back with items brought for the Women.
Husbands to The Pregnant Mother’s, Grand Children to Aged Mothers and Hypertensive Mother’s, were denied access to the Women.
Armoured Tanks was also mounted at the entrance of the Prison Gate and Security agents, forced the visitors out.
The only people allowed into the Prisons for visitation, are those who came to see none IPOB activists.
The human right violation acts in Owerri Prisons today being the 21st Of August 2018, brought about chaos in the Prisons, which compelled the DCP and other Prison Officials to address angry Family members of the detained IPOB Women.
In his statement; ” We have been ordered not to allow visitation of the IPOB Women remanded here. Take the Food back, until further notice”.
All perishable Food items, Drugs, Clothes were rejected by the Prison officials and taken home by the Family members. The Women who were brutalised by the security agents and remanded in Prisons, are forced to suffer, as ordered by the Nigeria Government.
