Police arrest 15 in Adamawa for carrying Aminu's posters
From Emmanuel Ande, Yola
THE police on Monday arrested 15 persons for carrying the posters of Senator Aminu Jubril during President Olusegun Obasanjo's visit to Adamawa State.
A witness told The Guardian that some policemen descended on the youths who waited on Airport Road, carrying Aminu's posters and wearing T-shirts bearing his name to welcome the President.
Obasanjo was on a one-day visit to the state to lay the foundation of Abti American University of Nigeria (AAUN), Yola, owned by Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to the source, policemen swooped on the youths, tore Aminu's posters and T-shirts that were carried and worn by the supporters of the Senator who recently survived a recall campaign allegedly sponsored by Atiku.
The Commissioner of Police Abubakar Hafiz Ringim confirmed to The Guardian that 15 persons were arrested and that they were released yesterday without being charged to court.
According to him, the police arrested the youths based on information received by the Force Intelligence Unit that some supporters of Aminu have printed posters and T-shirts and that they were planning to cause trouble during the President's visit.
"The President's visit was very important to the people of the state, so we cannot allow anybody or group of persons to disrupt it," Ringim said.
The Police Commissioner said about 10,000 copies of Aminu's posters were confiscated from his supporters that were arrested by his men.
He denied allegations that the police were working on directives from the high authorities, saying that the action of his men was only to cage the looming crisis. He said the police would not allow any politician to breach security laws in the state irrespective of his position.
While reacting to the arrest of Senator Aminu's supporters, the spokesman of the lawmaker, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, denied police allegations that Aminu's supporters were out to cause trouble.
He said that the youths were in Yola to welcome President Obasanjo to the state when police descended on them and confiscated the Senator's posters.
According to Hong, the action of the police infringed on the fundamental rights of the arrested persons by denying them their right to welcome the president to their state.
Hong told The Guardian that he might take a legal action against the police after consulting with Aminu in Abuja.
|
