One of the leading chairmanship aspirants in Nsukka Local Government Area, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming local government election in Enugu State, Hon. Agbo Amos Amadi, has broken his silence on the remand of 8 youths who staged protest in Nsukka last week.
DAILY POST reports that the youths had staged a peaceful protest in Nsukka, kicking against the re-election of the immediate past chairman of the Local Government, Hon. Patrick Omeje.
However, 8 of the protesters were arrested, taken to the Police State CID, and arraigned on felony charges, during which they were remanded in prison custody.
But speaking to journalists in Enugu on Friday after visiting the youths at the Enugu Prison, Agbo said efforts were on to ensure that they were freed.
He condemned efforts by some people to link the Enugu State Government with the remand of the protesters, noting that findings showed that the government was as shocked as everyone else.
“I want to talk about our 8 brothers who are languishing in prison custody. I cried today when I visited them in the prison because they don’t deserve to be there.
“I had to enquire how the government could get involved in such a thing, based on the news flying around, but my enquiries showed that the State Government was as shocked as myself; they knew nothing about the arrest and the arraignment.
“It is now clear that people just took our brothers to prison for exercising their rights. The government expressed deep shock over this and has assured Nsukka people that good reason would prevail. I have assurance from the government that efforts would be made to make sure that these our brothers do not suffer unjustly.
“I want their parents and relations to remain calm; those children have not committed any offence; peaceful protest is guaranteed under our laws; the charges are even laughable; charging them of felony and communal war- which communal war, which felony? It is a disaster, and with the government assurance, they will be freed in no distant time.
“The most unfortunate part of it is that some people did this thing and tried to paint a picture that the State Government was involved but we have discovered those that did this grave injustice to our brothers. Neither the Governor nor the State Government has a hand in it. The Governor is our father and could not have put his children in prison.”
On his ambition, Agbo said, “I am very loyal to the party; the party deprived me of having my nomination form, and I have made my agitations known, and believe that the party will do justice to my complaints.
“I also want to urge all my supporters that this is time for patience, at the end, justice will be done. I want to also beg other aspirants to remain calm because of the environment we are in. This is the Governor’s senatorial zone and Nsukka is the largest local government, so it is so bad for us to resort to violence, we have a fatherly governor who listens, and I believe he will address all the injustices we are crying about.
“Our people should know that this is a time to agitate peacefully.”
