A group under the auspices of Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has condemned the continues detention without trial of the Aminu Dogara, the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos and his wife by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Dogara who is also the Chairman of Council of Arewa Chiefs in Southern Nigeria, was reported to have been arrested on Thursday in Lagos, alongside his wife.
They were arrested allegedly in connection with the ongoing investigations of Godwin Emefiele, the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In a statement on Monday in Kaduna, chairman, Mohammed Danlami, chairman Board of Trustees of CNF, called for their “immediate and unconditional release” if the DSS fails to charged them to court.
The statement maintained that it is an abuse of constitutional rights to arrest and detain people without trial.
The statement said, “The attention of the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has been drawn to a report of the arrest of Alh. Aminu Yaro Dogara, the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos State and Chairman of Council, Arewa Chiefs in Southern Nigeria, by the DSS purportedly ‘in connection to the ongoing investigation of the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele’
“We are compelled to ask the question: Is the Sarki a staff of the CBN? On the contrary, Sarki Aminu Yaro is a traditional ruler, the head of Hausa community in Lagos, a peaceful, harmless leader not capable of hurting a fly.
“He is a unifying factor who came in as a King and brought together the polarised Arewa community in Lagos and ended decades of rivalry, threats and destruction of lives and property.
Danlami said the continous detention of the traditional ruler and his wife without trial is a violation of their fundamental human rights.
He said, “The law is very clear. If you are accusing anybody of committing an offence, charge him to court within 24 hours. Continuous detention of an individual without any legal definition is unconstitutional.
“It is also inhumane to arrest and continue to detain such an elderly man without consideration to his health.”
The group “admonished the DSS to operate within the provisions of the constitution by adhering to the rule of law and respect for human rights.”
The statement called on President Bola Tinubu to caution security agencies who operate as if Nigeria is under military dictatorship.
