From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The Arewa Centre for Peace and Development has threatened to sue the Nigerian Army over what it described as ‘unlawful detention’ of the Miyetti Ala Kutai President, Abdullah Bodejo, “without appropriate legal trial for over two weeks.
The group in a statement in Katsina, yesterday, said the continued detention of the leader of herders in Nigeria was capable of heating up the polity.
The group’s Executive Director, Abubakar Birchi, who signed the statement, said: “The recent arrest and continued detention of Bodejo by the army is unacceptable.
“And, we have observed with keen interest the unacceptable treatment being meted out to northern Nigeria by the All Progressives Congress-led government which may unduly heat up the polity. Bodejo has been held for over two weeks without any reasonable explanation from the army or defence headquarters.
“We, at the centre, call on President Bola Tinubu and the military authorities to, as a matter of urgency, release Bodejo or hand him over to the appropriate legal authorities or security agencies.
“Just because he launched a nomadic vigilance group in Nasarawa and he had the intention of forming it in all states of the federation, should not warrant his detention by the army.
“We may have no choice but to sue the military authorities if Bodejo is further held without trial.”
The Myetti Ala leader was reportedly arrested on January 23, 2024.