Oby Ezekwesili arrested, released
Category: Nigerian National News
Source: Premium Times
Related Posts:
A former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, was this morning
arrested by security agents at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International
Airport, Abuja, as she tried to travel to London for a scheduled
engagement.
The operatives confiscated her traveling documents as well.
She was however released after the government came under intense
pressure as news of her arrest flooded the social media with many
Nigerians lambasting the administration for increasingly clamping down
on critics and members of the opposition.
Mrs. Ezekwesili had tweeted at 7:37 a.m. Monday that she was heading
to London to appear on the BBC Hardtalk programme but was prevented from
boarding her flight by security operatives.
Is this a democracy? I
am being detained by the SSS at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport .
The SSS has refused to give my passport to me,” she posted. “On my way to London this morning for my @BBCHARDtalk appearance billed for tomorrow and the SSS has detained me by withholding my passport.”
These tweets soon went viral within minutes with several Nigerians on
social media lampooning the government and calling for the immediate
release of the former minister.
At 8:03 am, Mrs. Ezekwesili tweeted that the operatives had released her passport.
“SSS has released it.
Just barely made the BA flight. Last to board @ 7.55 for an 8.00 am
flight that is now taxiing. Is this democracy?” she wrote. “No one can
seize my democratic rights. I refused to let the SSS get away with
trampling on my constitutional right.”
The former minister is one of the leaders of the #BringBackOurGirls
campaign group, which has been consistently pressurising the Nigerian
government to act more decisively in rescuing the over 250 schoolgirls
abducted from their dormitory by the extremist Boko Haram sect over
three months ago.
A former World Bank executive, Mrs. Ezekwesili is a renowned
anti-corruption campaigner and she has in the past year become one of
the most vociferous critics of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
She has accused the administration of widespread corruption and has
repeatedly demanded accountability on the use of the nation’s oil
revenues.
The #BringBackOurGirls group she leads has become a thorn in the
flesh of the administration with the government making unsubstantiated
allegations to discredit the campaigners.
The administration recently hired an American Public Relations firm
to help it counter the narratives being pushed by the activists
regarding the government’s effort at rescuing the missing girls.
Source: Premium Times
Related Posts:
No comments