A coalition of Nigerian youth groups has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt what it described as the targeted persecution of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The group referenced the attempt by David Kaswe, counsel to the Federal Government, who requested that Justice Chisoba Oji remand Senator Natasha in prison shortly after she entered a not-guilty plea to the charges brought against her. The application was vehemently opposed by her lawyer, Professor Roland Otaru, after which the court granted her bail.
In a statement signed by the National President of the Coalition of Nigeria Youth Groups, Abdul Mohammed Nasir, the Secretary General, Victoria Ademola; and the Publicity Secretary, Ibeh Columbus Ameachi, the coalition expressed dismay over what they called “endless persecution of the female Senator.”
Another legal case against the Senator is reportedly scheduled for arraignment in a different court soon, sparking widespread concern among civil society groups and supporters.
The coalition stated that anyone who doubted before now that Senator Natasha was undergoing persecution may have every doubt cleared “going by the litany of cases lined up against her.”
The coalition said, “One can also see from the fruitless efforts of the government’s lawyer to have her remanded in prison, that there is a desperate plot not just to embarrass her but to keep her out of circulation.
“The Senator willingly submitted herself for trial as soon as the trial notice was served on her, so what influenced the demand for her remand in prison in an ordinarily bailable offence? We feel enraged that this matter has been allowed to linger for so long, with all the accompanying drama.
“At this point, we are saying that enough is enough; this woman has been persecuted enough. We had expected that the civil matter in court would have been allowed to run its course, where she would be expected to prove her allegations. However, what we are seeing are suppressive actions, which are not portraying Nigeria in a good light.”
The coalition then called on the international communities, ECOWAS, women organisations all over the world “to rally support for Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan against her continued humiliation and intimidation.
“The senator has been left vulnerable to insecurity since her security details were withdrawn. The recurring criminal attacks on the senator’s Kogi State home calls for immediate reinstatement of her security.
“We, however, commend the trial judge who granted her bail despite the pressure from the government circles,” the coalition said.
