Human rights lawyer (SAN) has recounted the controversial detention of journalist , highlighting what he described as a grave violation of fundamental human rights by security agencies in Nigeria.
Falana spoke during an interview from 7:12 on Sahara TV while reflecting on past incidents involving the abuse of state power, particularly the role of the State Security Service (SSS) in detaining individuals without due process. The senior advocate used Abiri’s case as a striking example of prolonged unlawful detention and the failure of authorities to communicate with affected families.
Providing details of the incident, Falana said, “This journalist was captured in Bayelsa state. The family thought he was kidnapped. Two years when they didn’t hear anybody call them to talk about ransom, they assumed he has been killed. Somebody came out of the SSS detention center and ran to our chamber that a Nigerian has been detained for two years, please can you do something about it? So we went to court and the State Security were keeping him for two years.”
According to Falana, it was only after legal intervention that the case came to public attention, underscoring the importance of the judiciary in checking abuses by security agencies. He noted that the lack of transparency surrounding Abiri’s detention caused significant distress to his family, who believed he had been abducted and possibly killed…Read_More…