By Mustapha Yauri
Concern Zaria Citizens, an NGO, says it has instituted a legal action against the Nigeria Police Force and three others over alleged illegal arrest and detention of its members.
The other respondents in the suit are the Police Commissioner in Kaduna State, ASP Akele, and Prof. Tsware Jeffrey, the Director-General (D-G) of the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria.
The spokesman of the group, Malam Mohammed Nasir, madevthis known to newsmen on Monday in Zaria.
Nasir said some time ago the group issued a petition against the NARICT boss via an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, the petition is hinged on the alleged over stay in office by the CEO of NARICT, following the enactment of a new condition of service 2019, among others.
Nasir said Dr Ahmed Palladan and Malam Bashir Ibrahim, who signed the letter, were arrested by the police and taken to Kaduna for interrogation.
The spokesperson said the group intimated its lawyers and instructed them to secure their release from the police.
He said the group, therefore, also directed its lawyers to file a suit against the Nigeria Police Force, Commissioner of Police, Kaduna Command, Prof. Tsware Jeffrey, and one other person.
“The Plaintiffs in the suit, Dr Ahmed Palladan and Malam Bashir Ibrahim, had obtained an ex-parte order from Justice Kabir Dabo of High Court 1, Dogarawa, Zaria,” he said.
The order, which was made available to newsmen, was for an interim injunction restraining the defendants from taking further action in connection with the complaint lodged by the fourth respondent (NARICT boss), pending the determination of the originating motion.
The court, therefore, fixed Aug. 22 for hearing in the case filed by the group against the respondent,’’ he said.
However, Nasir said that the parties who were served with the court order insisted on arresting their members.
He said the Constitution has granted them the right of expression and that was what they did by the open letter to the President, adding that writing a petition is not abusing anybody.
According to him, their members are living in constant fear of arrest by the police under instruction of the NARICT boss.
When contacted, Jeffrey said he was constrained to speak on an issue pending before a court and pledged to address a newsmen on the issue in a near future. (NAN)
