The Plateau State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called upon the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate allegations of harassment, intimidation, and unlawful detention of its members by the police and the DSS in the State.
In a statement signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Sylvanus Namang, the APC expressed its concern about the actions of the security agencies, which it considers a clear violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to freedom of speech and association as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria.
The party cited a specific incident at the SID department of the Police Headquarters in Jos on October 13th, 2023, where the wife of an ardent supporter and media blogger of the party was summoned on what they consider frivolous allegations and detained for hours without a valid case.
“The only reason for her detention was to impress on her husband who is not in town to come over to the station with his phone for investigation!
“Another member of the party’s social media team, a female, was also recently invited to the DSS office in Jos for the singular aim of going through her telephone conversations and chats on social media, which we see as intimidation and assault on her freedom of speech and association”.
The statement continued to mention another case where a female member of the party’s social media team was invited to the DSS office in Jos to investigate her phone conversations and social media chats, which the APC sees as intimidation and an infringement on her freedom of speech and association.
The APC also noted that other members of the party have reported cases of harassment, attacks, and threats on social media platforms by the ruling party in the state.
The APC asserted that no form of intimidation or harassment would deter its members from expressing their opinions and views on governance and democratic issues.
The party called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the DSS to investigate these allegations and take necessary action against those involved, as the APC views them as partners in progress.
The party further urged the security agencies to respect the fundamental human rights of all citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
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