A nursing mother, Mrs. Margret Inya, has appealed to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbajá, for the release of her husband, Mr. Inya Ken, who was arrested at the Eke Market Polling Unit in Afikpo North Local Government Area by soldiers from the Nkwagu Military Cantonment and taken to an unknown destination.
In a conversation with LEADERSHIP in Afikpo, Mrs. Inya expressed her concern that several hours after her husband’s arrest by the soldiers, his whereabouts remained unknown.
She recounted that she and her husband had come to the Polling Unit to cast their votes when, shortly afterward, a young man arrived with the soldiers, pointed at her husband, and the soldiers immediately arrested him.
She said, “I don’t know the fate of my husband now, nor the physical and emotional torture he might be enduring. We came together to vote, and shortly after, a young man approached where my husband was sitting, pointed at him, and the soldiers ordered him to sit on the ground under the scorching sun for more than 30 minutes.
“After making him sit on the ground, they bundled him into their van and took him away. I arrived at the scene and pleaded with them to tell me what he had done, but none of them responded. Now, I don’t know where they have taken him.
“I can’t afford to lose my husband. I am a nursing mother, and all I am asking is for them to release my husband or inform me where they have taken him so I can know his condition.”
Responding to the arrest, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the by-election, Sir Ifeanyi Eleje, described the arrest as unfortunate and unnecessary, adding that the soldiers were deployed to intimidate and harass innocent voters.
“Yesterday, the Youth Leader of Afikpo was arrested at his home by some soldiers and was later released very late. Today, again, at the Eke Market Polling Unit, soldiers came and arrested Ken without stating his offense.
“I personally came to ascertain his offense, and they refused to inform me or even his wife. What we experienced is a total sham and not an election. The soldiers intimidated the voters.
“This is an off-season election, and we had expected a free, fair, and credible process, but what we witnessed was a complete sham. The election fell below standards, which is why many people didn’t come out to vote.”
Credit Gist New Today News in Newspaper Nigeria Headlines