The couple detained since one year now
By Tony Adibe
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has asked the Nigeria’s secret police, Department of State Security Services (DSS) to quickly release a couple – Mr. Sunday Ifedi and his wife, Mrs Ifedi Callister Ifedi who were “unlawfully arrested” by it’s Operatives and have been in it’s custody for the past one year.
The CLO, however, insisted that in the event that the DSS failed to release the couple as a matter of urgency, it should quickly present them to a court of competent jurisdiction rather than holding them till eternity.
In a statement issued by the CLO Enugu State branch and signed by one of it’s key officials, Comrade Paul Odimegwu on behalf of the family of the detained couple, the human rights group stated that the children of the couple informed the organization that their parents were arrested on 23rd of November, 2021 for an undisclosed reason.
“CLO is herein using this medium to call for the release of these couple to join back members of their family who are suffering from malnutrition and hunger,” Odimegwu said.
The human rights group further stated in the petition addressed to the Director of DSS, Abuja that the children also informed the organization that their parents were arrested by the DSS Enugu office at about 1am on the fateful day.
The children of the couple, also informed the rights group that their parents were taken to the DSS office in Enugu where they were temporarily released, and thereafter rearrested, according to the CLO. Odimegwu stated in the petition thus: “They told us that their parents were later rearrested and taken to DSS office Abuja for further interrogation.
” Ifedi Echezona, and Ifedi Peace informed us that since the rearrest of their parents that they have not heard from them nor talked with them for over one year now.” The petition also hinted that The Children further claimed that they had made several efforts to visit the DSS office in Abuja to know the couple’s whereabouts, but all efforts were in vain.
CLO added that they were also informed that a lawyer who embarked on a search of the whereabouts of the victims was informed that the suspects were no more detained in Abuja and their case has been transferred to Minna in Niger State.
Odimegwu stated that the family of the victims are only demanding that their parents be released or be charged to court. The Organization, therefore, requested that the detained couple should be brought to justice or be freed from detention.
