Mr Kazeem Afegbua, the spokesman for former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, has released a statement in which he said he would make himself available to the police on Wednesday.
The police had declared Afegbua, a journalist, wanted for purportedly releasing a ‘false’ statement on behalf of the ex-president.
In the statement signed by Afegbua, Babangida was quoted to have lamented the various clashes and killings across the country while refusing to back President Muhammadu Buhari for second term.
This had prompted Babangida to release a counter-statement he personally signed denying the submissions in the earlier statement by Afegbua.
However, Babangida later confirmed the veracity of Afegbua’s statement.
A statement signed by Afegbua’s counsel, Kayode Ajulo & Co, alleged that there was a desperate attempt to bully Afegbua into submission.
The statement came after the police on Monday declared him wanted.
The statement read: “Prince Afegbua is a well known journalist and was a cabinet member of Edo state government with a known address in Benin, Edo state and Abuja, yet he is not on notice of the police invitation whatsoever, before the purported publication declaring him wanted.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there are spelt-out procedures for declaring a person wanted by the Police. The Police or other law enforcement agencies can declare a person wanted if they find reasons to do so, particularly if the person is a suspect in the commission of a crime and is on the run.
“The public must know that our client, in discharging his duty to his principal, General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR cannot by any stretch of the imagination be said to have committed a crime that warrants such negative publicity. Neither is he on the run.
“Our client, however, remains undeterred by the desperate efforts of some individuals to intimidate him and bend his will and rights against the Constitution provisions, framework of Nigeria Police Force Act and the laws of the land.
“The circumscription of his constitutional right to the dignity of self, freedom of expression and fair hearing denotes that there is a desperate attempt to scare him into submission.
“We have advised Prince Afegbua of his right and remedies available to him, as a law abiding citizen of NIgeria, he has elected to make himself available to the Police on Wednesday once he returns from his trip.”
Leave a Reply