The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has condemned the arrest and detention of its gubernatorial candidate in Benue State, Professor Torkuma Ugba, at the police headquarters in Abuja.
The party, in a statement issued in Lagos, on Tuesday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the police which was slow to act in the petition submitted to it on the murder of Professor Ugba’s aide, Charles Ayede, was so quick to act when a petition alleging the breach of peace and complicity was submitted by Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State. It described the action as a brazen act of victimisation.
‘’This is the same police force that has bluntly refused to act in all the complaints by Professor Ugba and the ACN in Benue against the killing, harassment and intimidation of our party’s members. It is now clear that IGP Hafiz Ringim is turning the Nigeria Police to a highly-partisan force, which can only lead the security agency to perdition,’’ it said.
ACN said the situation amounts to a clear case of turning victims to villains.
Meanwhile, Professor Ugbah and 15 others were granted bail on Tuesday by Chief Magistrate Cecilia Bakare .
Others granted bail included Professor Ugbah’s special adviser, Mr Samuel Adam Magbe and former chairman, Gboko Local Government council, Simon Abua.
When the case was mentioned, the Police Prosecutor,Victor Nwadike, told the court that Professor Ugbah and his special adviser, Adam Magbe, were being charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, rioting and criminal intimidation.
Nwadike stated that the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, was informed vide a petition written by Governor Gabriel Suswam dated May 16, 2011 that Professor Ugbah, Paul Unongo and Senator George Akume addressed a press conference in Makurdi where they wrongfully accused him (Suswam) of masterminding the killing of Ayede, media adviser to Professor Ugbah.
The police said had the press conference, Professor Ugbah incited Terwase Ashekaa and 12 others, who conspired to burn down the house of Torkwse Malu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women leader in a locality in Kwande local council.
In the application for bail, counsel for Professor Ugbah, Samuel Orkuma, who led 17 other lawyers told the presiding magistrate that all the offences were bailable since they were not capital offences.
Chief Magistrate Bakare, after listening to the arguments by the police prosecutor and Mr Orkuma granted bail to the accused for the sum of N200,000 each and one surety each, who must be resident in Makurdi and would have their passport photographs deposited with the court.
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