The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, the apex socio-political youth group in the South East geopolitical zone has condemned what it described as unlawful arrest of an Igbo traditional leader, Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate, Lagos, Eze Fredrick Nwajagu by the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Police “when criminals like MC Oluomo and his thugs who threatened and executed their threats against Igbo by killing and attacking their businesses and properties are moving about freely.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by Hon. Goodluck Ibem, the President General of the coalition.
It said, “The statement by the Igbo leader was made because of the silence of the security agencies towards the attack on the Igbos in Lagos. The DSS and the police left the real cause of the problem to chase shadows.
“This same police and DSS that arrested Eze Fredrick Nwajagu and other innocent Igbos, what did they do when MC Oluomo and his thugs were killing and attacking Igbos and their properties in Lagos during and after the general elections, the answer is nothing. Now the person who intends to make a move to protect himself and you go and arrest him, meaning that you want him to stand without doing anything and be killed. That is absolute balderdash. Only a tree will hear that the man will cut him down tomorrow and he will still stand in the same place without making a move.
“It is disgraceful that the Lagos police spokesman SP Benjamin Hundeyin said that he will resist any arrangement by the Igbos to protect themselves in Lagos but the same police will do nothing to protect the Igbos when MC Oluomo and his thugs are killing and attacking Igbos and their businesses in Lagos.
When MC Oluomo threatened to kill and attack Igbos who will come out to vote for candidates of their choice during the elections in Lagos which he fulfilled, the police and the DSS did not arrest him nor stop the attacks. But just a mere statement by an Igbo leader to protect Igbo lives and properties in Lagos, the DSS and the police suddenly know how to arrest because the person involved is an Igbo man.
“We warn the DSS and the police in Lagos State to stop attacking and maltreating the Igbos because Nigeria belongs to all of us. No tribe is higher than the other in this country, enough is enough.
“When the attacks on the Igbos lasted in Lagos, the DSS and the police kept silent, which is a tacit approval to the attacks against Igbos and their properties in Lagos.
“We demand for the immediate release of the following revered Igbo leaders, Eze Fredrick Nwajagu, the leader of the Igbo community in the Ibashe riverine area of Lagos State, Eze Chinedu Mozie who was illegally detained by the police in Lagos after he challenged thugs for not allowing Igbos in the community to vote in the just-ended gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, Chisom Kalu, Charity Hannah, Mike Nwokehia, Elizabeth Adenike, Joseph Agada, Sunday Awnunu, Omaji Oyegwra and Okeke Chinyere and other Igbos illegally detained by the police because they wanted to cast their votes.
“The unlawful arrest of Igbos in Lagos by the DSS and the police has clearly demonstrated that they now take orders from thugs in Lagos State. Too shameful!”
