By: News Peddlers
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| Abdurasheed Bawa |
The Northwest Alliance for Citizens Freedom (NWCF) said it has been watching events unfold with stoicism since the arbitrary arrest and unexplained detention of Abdurasheed Bawa, the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
NWCF stated in a statement signed by president general Lawal Ibrahim Jamaare that Abdulrasheed Bawa has been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for 33 days since June 14, hours after his suspension by President Bola Tinubu.
It expressed surprise that, since Bawa's arrest, the DSS has remained silent on the specific charges for which he was arrested, the level of investigation, and whether charges would be filed against him in court.
The group condemned the unlawful arrest and detention of Abdurasheed Bawa in its resolutions and demands, and called on the Nigerian government to uphold its human rights obligations, adding that this act by the DSS, a Nigerian government agency, is a blatant violation of the rights protected under the 1999 Constitution, such as the right to personal liberty, which are also protected under regional and international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.
"We would like to remind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of his human rights obligations and commitments, and we would like to encourage him to continue working to uphold democratic values in Nigeria."
"NWCF calls on the President to compel the DSS to immediately release Abdurasheed Bawa and all those detained in similar circumstances or to charge them with an internationally recognised offence, and to ensure their physical and psychological integrity in custody.
“The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the NHRC should investigate Abdulrasheed Bawa’s as well as all credible allegations involving unlawful detention, and those identified as responsible should be prosecuted in fair trials,” the statement reads in part.
The group also urged the government to ensure victims' access to remedies such as compensation as well as medical and psychological care, and urged Nigeria's regional and international partners to press the government to uphold its human rights obligations by closing all unauthorised places of detention, ending unlawful detentions, and providing justice and remedies to victims and their families.