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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
A human rights group, People’s Rights Organisation (PRO), has cautioned the Federal Government and security agencies against discriminatory arrest of those involved in ethnic profiling in Lagos State.
The group specifically urged the federal government to arrest Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, over what it alleged as an inciting utterance against Igbo living in Lagos State, prior to the presidential and national assembly elections in the state.
Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Owerri, the Imo state capital, the Executive Director of PRO, Christian Nwadigbo, frowned at the arrest of the Eze Igbo of Ajao Estate in Lagos, Frederick Nwajagu, while Akinsanya and others alleged to have made incisive comments before the elections were not arrested.
He said: “The tragic event of the March 18, 2023 in Lagos State, during the governorship and house of assembly polls, where voters identified as Igbo or resembling the Igbo were beaten brutalised, manhandled and disenfranchised by thugs across the length and breadth of Lagos, has remained as a cancerous sore in the conscience of Nigeria and, in deed, Africa. In areas predominantly inhabited by the Igbo, ballot boxes were snatched at gunpoint and destroyed; mayhem and terror were unleashed on those profiled as Igbo and the security agencies offered little or no succour,” Nwandigbo claimed.
However, while kicking totally against the whole process of the March 18 election, the activist suggested that the new political culture of Nigeria be based on human rights values, norms and standards, “to the effect that members of every political party and their followers should be subjected to basic human rights training.
He further explained: “This would enable the citizens to contribute significantly to building human culture in Nigeria. This is because research has shown that the human rights framework is the ultimate guideline to chart an assured future of any forward looking nation, and it’s a powerful tool for action against the current social disintegration, poverty and intolerance prevalent in Nigeria.”
