Nigerian citizens resident abroad, under the auspices of Nigeria Coalition for Change, has warned the federal government against taking vindictive action against a former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Mr Obadiah Mailafia over the statement he made on the country’s increasing wave of insecurity.
The group based in Washington DC, the capital of the United States of America, said the statement allegedly credited to Mailafia indicting a sitting governor of being among sponsors of Boko Haram should serve as a searchlight to solving the insurgency issue, rather than being politicised.
The coalition said that it was wrong and unpatriotic for the security agencies to subject the former CBN top-notch to unnecessary psychological torture over the alleged indicting comment.
Mailafia had a couple of months ago claimed that he got information from some Fulani traders indicting a serving governor of being allegedly behind the sponsorship of the Boko Haram terror group in the northern part of the country .
In a statement signed by the coalition’s chairman, Samuel Ayodele on Saturday, the group expressed opposition to the way the security agencies had been inviting Mailafia since the issue began.
Ayodele charged the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the statement credited to the ex-CBN chief rather than subjecting him to ridicule, torture and trauma.
The coalition said the common features, by which state’s agencies were being used to oppress those who displayed uncommon bravery to save their fatherland from ruin and catastrophe, had been a factor suppressing the patriotic spirit among Nigerians.
“We members of the Nigeria Coalition for Change , United States of America chapter frowned at the way Mr Obadiah Mailafia was being harassed, pummelled and derided by the operatives of the DSS and police over his comment.
“Since he exhibited that uncommon courage to openly comment that he heard it from good authority that a sitting governor was behind Boko Haram insurgents, we perceived that the man had been subjected to all forms of harassment, which suggested that the government found the revelation shocking and unacceptable.
“In a civilised clime, what they normally do when such a statement is made is to investigate and bring out counter evidence to disprove whatever had been said, if the government was in doubt.
“Up to now, we have not seen or heard the security architecture of the government coming up with a counterclaim. All they have been doing was to deride the man to portray him as heating up the polity or plotting to destabilise the nation.
“The question agitating our mind has been that has the government thoroughly investigated his claim? Has he been found to be purveyor of fake news? If these were untrue, why was he being shabbily treated even without investigation? This was an injustice to a Nigerian citizen.
“We believe that equity and justice depict that a citizen is perceived innocent until his claim is proven otherwise . This case seems to negate the norm under this context.
“We appeal to the federal government to give him a fair deal in this matter and a fair deal comes when he is accorded fair hearing, freedom of speech and privilege to self-respect and personal liberty as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution”, the coalition concluded.
