August 26, (THEWILL) – A Makurdi-based legal practitioner, Barr. Clement Mue, has accused Benue State Governor, Revd Fr Hycinth Alia, of ordering the police to arrest and detain his client, Mr Paul Terhemba Gyenger, last Friday.
Speaking to Journalists in Makurdi on Saturday, Barr Mue alleged that his client was arrested on allegations of posting on social media that Governor Alia allegedly misappropriated palliative funds he received from the Federal Government for Benue State.
According to him, when he went to the police headquarters in Makurdi to secure his bail, one of the officers informed him that it was practically impossible to secure the suspect’s bail during the week.
“As a lawyer, I have to come back and wait till Monday to file a case. To my knowledge, a case of defamation is civil in nature. If my client is in police custody from Friday to Monday, it would have been more than 72 hours, which is against the law of the land,” he said.
Reacting, the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bemgba Iortyom, described the detention of the PDP social media activist as an infringement on his right of opinion.
According to him, Governor Alia is out to intimidate and cage Benue people from airing views that are contrary to his own, vowing not to back out.
Efforts to reach the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula and the Police Public Relations Officer, Benue State Police Command, SP Sewuese Anene, failed as their GSM lines were not going through.
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