An aspirant into the Delta State House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, in Oshimili North Local Government Area, Kenneth Agbomah, has accused the state police command of illegal arrest and detention.
Addressing journalists on Monday in Asaba, he lamented that he was detained for one week without knowing his offence.
He said that his arrest was politically motivated in order to skim him out from Assembly race.
Agbomah said, “I left my father’s house to my own house, on my way, I saw party members fighting the ward Chairman. Then I stopped to know what was wrong, I saw a ward leader, Uche Agbuje who is also my uncle with a cutlass. The next I saw was blood so I started separating fight.
“After that incident occurred on April 15, the Illah Divisional Police called and invited me, and as a law abiding citizen, I went there, and immediately transferred to state CID, Asaba where I was detained alongside with my media aide Akpala Matthew for one week before we were released on bail.
“My understanding of the arrest was politically motivated to stop me from contesting election. I was not told the reason for the arrest and who was behind the arrest. I didn’t support the incident that happened, we are brothers.
“The party members were there because my name was removed from the ad-hoc delegates list, as an aspirant, my name supposed to be there.”
Also speaking, his counsel, Favour Ajuebor, said the police had no right to arrest him for the offence he didn’t commit. The only thing police told him was to produce who inflicted assault on the leader.
“Under Criminal law, you cannot be held responsible for the offence of another person. Where that law is being applied, we don’t know. We will restrain the police from interfering for the matter of this nature that doesn’t have any express interpretation as to why he is being held in custody.
“Action will commence in the shortest possible time to ensure that his right is no longer infringed upon and to give him the leverage and fair level ground to participate effectively in the forthcoming election.”
He said the police had asked him to report to the CID on the same day the exercise was slated to hold.
When contacted, the Police public relations officer, DSP Bright Edafe said there was a petition against the aspirant.
He said, “How can he say his arrest and detention was unlawful? There was a petition against him. If there was a petition against him, and he was arrested and detained, how can he said it was unlawful? He was detained for conspiracy and attack on someone. As I speak to you now, the victim is still receiving treatment in the hospital.”
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