Everest Ezihe || The continual detention of Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, the Chairman of Capital Oil and Gas company by the Directorate of State Security (DSS) without trial by any court of competent jurisdiction over an alleged business transaction between his company and the security agency has been described as a rape to Nigeria constitution by Barr. Charles Olumba.
Barr. Olumba who is the Principal Partner of Egwurugwu Chambers Owerri, and have put in over 25 years in active practice said this in Owerri while interacting with newsmen over the detention of the business mogul.
The legal icon noted that the fundamental rights of Chief Ubah as enshrined in 1999 constitution as amended as well as United Nations Charter of Equity of which Nigeria is a signatory to have been violated.
He pointed out that the law gives them an impetus of 24hours detention on arrest or arraign the accused to court for trial and other actions noting the accused of being innocent before the law.
According to him, “There is an indication that in this country, her citizen rights are often trampled upon without recourse. This is an insult to the judiciary and a threat to the nation’s hard earned democracy.
There is no legal backing keeping Ifeanyi Uba in DSS detention for over two weeks now without trial. His rights have been infringed and violated”
The legal luminary advised DSS to retrace the action and charge the company to court since the company is a legal entity and it transacted business with NNPC which is another legal entity.
Similarly, Barr. Kissinger Ikeokwu, a human rights activist and frontline legal practitioner in Imo State has described the detention as “Absolutely wrong and reckless on the part of the Nigerian government. It is a total infringement on his fundamental human rights and DSS have no business to prosecute Ubah because what happened was purely contractual business ”
Barr. Ikeokwu further decried the action of DSS arguing that it is unfortunate “This kind of impunity is being done in a country were the Acting President is a Professor of Law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).It is totally unfair that the rights of Nigerian citizens are being abused and violated by her own Government”
He insisted that due to the alleged legal rascality that the nation under the present democratic dispensation has gone “2 steps forward and 10 steps backward. It is quit absurd that Nigeria security agencies have no respect nor regards for her citizen’s fundamental human rights” he observed.