Lamido’s arrest, height of despotism – Ex-ministers

The Peoples Democratic Party’s ex-Ministers Forum on Wednesday said the arrest, arraignment and detention of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, was an utter ‘display of executive recklessness’ perpetrated by the Nigeria Police.

The secretary of the forum, Prof Abubakar Sulaiman, in an electronic email, said the ex-ministers were saddened by what he described as the level of lawlessness, persecution and ceaseless intimidation by the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the charges and allegations are unknown to any existing law in Nigeria.

He urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to release Lamido and withdraw the charges preferred against him.

Sulaiman said, “The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, acting for the Muhammadu Buhari-led government, should be bold enough to tell Nigerians how inciting was Lamido’s statement and the extent to which it constitutes a threat to national security.

“No doubt, Lamido’s current travail marks the beginning of the second phase of the maltreatment of the opposition, especially the members of the PDP.

“We, however, condemn in totality this heinous act of tyranny and despotism by the current government.

“We equally urge the IGP to release Sule Lamido and withdraw any charges that might have been levied against him, in the interest of peace, justice and sustainability of our hard-earned democracy.

“We should no longer take this country for granted as nobody, not even the law enforcement agencies, has the monopoly of coercion. The earlier we allow the supremacy of law to take precedent over the rule of brute force, the better.”