Unseal our headquarters, stop harassing us, Peace Corps charges IGP

Pece Corps

Lagos and Southwest Zonal Commandant, Peace Corps, Mutairu Habib (Left) and Emiabata Yetunde during the press conference

Lagos and Southwest Zonal Commandant, Peace Corps, Mutairu Habib (Left) and Emiabata Yetunde during the press conference

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Peace Corps of Nigeria has charged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris to urgently respect the court order and desist from the unnecessary harassment and intimidation of its members, unseal its headquarters, and pay the damages as instructed by the court.

The Lagos and Southwest Zonal Commandant, Peace Corps, Mutairu Habib, at a press conference on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said after the passing of the Peace Corps Bill by the National Assembly, there was an unwarranted invasion and sealing off its headquarters and arbitrary arrest of its National Commandant, Dickson Akoh with about 49 others on the 17th of February, 2017 by the officers Nigerian Police Force in Abuja.

“To end this retrogressive trend, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Nigeria Police to unseal the headquarters of the Peace Corps.

“Presiding Judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered that the building be unsealed within seven days and also ruled that the sum of N12.5 million be paid to us as damages.

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“We hereby call on the Inspector General of Police and the Nigerian Police Force to respect the court order and desist from the unnecessary harassment and intimidation of our members, unseal our headquarters, and pay the damages as instructed by the court,” he said.

Habib reiterated that the Peace Corps was a peaceful UN recognized organization with the primary objective of promoting peace in Nigeria and did not carry arms, “neither are we in contention with any existing security agency of government so we should not be seen as being in competition with any other organization.”

He said the body anxiously awaiting President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the Peace Corps Bill, which is sure to provide jobs for thousands of able-bodied youths across the length and breadth of the nation, and promote peace and unity which is a vital component in the drive to entrench a lasting democracy, a thriving economy, and sustained socio-economic development.

“We therefore pledge our full support for all existing security agencies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria most especially in the face of the various security challenges such as insurgency, kidnapping, vandalism and other related crimes,” he stated.

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