NUJ Demands Immediate Release Of Akwa-Ibom Radio Presenter Arrested By DSS Over COVID-19 Interview

These are no good times for Akwa Ibom-based sports journalist, Kufre Carter as he is currently being held incommunicado by operatives of the State Security Service over a controversial audio clip on COVID-19 that he allegedly circulated on social media.

Kufre in a Twitter post, had said he received a call from the Director of Operations, DSS Uyo Command, Uchechukwu Nnatube, inviting him to their office for questioning over his alleged involvement in the audio interview with a medical doctor.

The seven-part interview with an anonymous medical doctor centred around the foul play allegedly perpetuated by the State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, to manipulate the figures of COVID-19 tests in the state to downplay its magnitude.

Kufre was taken into custody by operatives of the SSS on April 27, after his visit to the state office in company of his lawyer, Augustine Asuquo.

Asuquo said he was not granted access to witness the interrogation of his client and was walked out of the premises by the security agents.

He said Nnatube later contacted him, demanding Kufre’s phone so that they could extract the purported audio recordings of the interview.

The operatives also requested for the phone number of the anonymous doctor, he said.

The 1999 constitution as amended protects the fundamental rights of its citizens specifically section 37 guarantees the right to telephone conversations, correspondence, and telegraphic communications.

Inibehe Effiong, Head of Inibehe Effiong Chambers who also offers legal representation to Kufre in a statement alleged his client was being tortured by the SSS operatives to forcefully obtain a confession from him.

“From all indications, we reasonably believe that SSS officers are torturing Kufre Carter in their custody in their effort to extract a ‘confessional statement’ from our client. The SSS is torturing our client for him to hand over his private mobile phone to them,” he said.

The human right lawyer said he had called Nnatube on phone to express his displeasure with his office’s handling of the case, but his calls were ignored.

“We are aware that the Akwa Ibom State Government instigated the DSS to hunt, arrest, torture and detain our client over the alleged audio record after facing increasing public criticisms over their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

“Since Nigeria is a country governed by laws and not the Banana Republic, we ask the DSS in Akwa Ibom State to immediately retrace from their illegal actions and release Kufre Carter forthwith, or to charge him to court first thing on Tuesday,” he said.

He said his client’s house had been searched by the DSS illegally to find his personal phone, stating their actions dated back to the times of an uncivilised era.

“We wish to also place on record that there is no social distancing at the SSS Command in Uyo. We hope that this is not a deliberate attempt to expose our client to the dreaded COVID-19.

“Nigerians and the international community should prevail on the SSS in Akwa Ibom State to act as a responsible law enforcement agency and release our client immediately, and stop behaving like a colonial police for politicians and public office holders in Akwa Ibom State,” he said.

In a swift reaction sport reporters in Akwa Ibom State called for his immediate and unconditional release via a statement signed by Emmanuel Akpan and Secretary Theophilus Udo and made available, saying the action was a breach of his fundamental rights.

The statement, said: “Comrade Kufre Carter, who is a sport presenter with XL106.9FM, is a registered member and we hereby call for his unconditional release or be immediately charged to court.

“Under normal circumstances, we would not have gotten to this stage because as a law abiding citizen, Comrade Kufre Carter had received a phone call to be at the State Security Service (SSS), Akwa Ibom State Command in Uyo on Monday over a purported audio conversation with a medical practitioner on the current fight against Coronavirus in the state.

“On his arrival at the state’s SSS office, he was detained and has been there for over 24 hours without being told of his crime whether criminal or civil.”

They said Comrade Kufre Carter’s continued detention by the SSS has exposed him to a high risk of contracting the dreaded Coronavirus, “as the preventive measures are said not to be taken into consideration at his incarceration center, which is against the directives of the World Health Organisation, Federal and State governments on the fight against Coronavirus.

“As a public affairs commentator that is respected within and outside the state, our member did no harm in doing his comment and as a responsible citizen of Nigeria; he has no record of criminality and as such, should not be treated as a common criminal.

“As we demand for his release with immediate effect, we urge the state government, Human Rights activists, and right thinking members of the public to join us in calling on the SSS to either release Comrade Kufre Carter unconditionally from detention or be charged to court.”

Source: PMNews