A human rights organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, has called on Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to immediately release a female activist, Princess God’sown Udoito, and halt what it described as arbitrary arrests and illegal detention by the police.
In a statement, HURIWA stressed the importance of constructive criticism to the survival and progress of constitutionalism and democracy, condemning the decision of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command to arraign Princess Udoito on charges of defamation. The group said it was wrong for the governor, as the chief security officer and chief executive of the state, to allegedly deploy the police to arrest and prosecute a critic over a matter it described as a personal and civil issue.
HURIWA argued that defamation is a personal actionable offence, noting that the governor could have pursued the matter through a civil lawsuit rather than involving law enforcement.
The group said the right to criticise public officials is lawful and essential for good governance, adding that elected leaders are not above the law.
According to the rights group, “The governor, President or indeed all elected office holders are not sacred cows that are above the law. Every elected public office holders are exercising authority legitimately only on the mandate given to them freely by the people of Nigeria who are the rightful owners of the Sovereignty of Nigeria as specified by the Constitution in chapter 2.”
HURIWA also expressed concern over reports that masquerades were being classified as criminals in Akwa Ibom and arrested whenever they appeared in public.
The group said freedom of worship guarantees citizens the right to practice any religion of their choice, including masquerade performances, as well as the right to peaceful assembly as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
“We are urging the gentleman Governor of Akwa Ibom state and a respected Christian leader to exercise authority in such an honourable way that his good people of Akwa Ibom state are allowed unfettered access to all their constitutionally guaranteed rights including freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” HURIWA said.
The group added, “If on the other hand the Governor thinks that the female activist aforementioned has offended him as a person who is also protected by the Constitution and he is aggrieved to such an extent that he claims that his reputation is damaged, he the Governor can on his own hire a lawyer of his choice and institute a suit against the woman for defamation and then allow the woman to also get her freely chosen legal representative. We think honestly that using the police to intimidate and arbitrarily detain the lady under very inhumane conditions, is a resort to self-help measure which we think is unlawful and dictatorial.”
HURIWA further disclosed that its members in Akwa Ibom had reported rising tension across oil-producing communities of the Ekid ethnic nationality following the arrest and prosecution of Princess God’sown Udoito, described as one of Governor Umo Eno’s fiercest critics and a land and environmental rights advocate.
Princess Udoito was reportedly arrested last Wednesday on the orders of the state government and charged to court by the Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, over allegations of defamation and breach of public peace.
Meanwhile, the Ekid Women Wing (EWW), made up of women from Eket and Esit Eket local government areas, has threatened to disrupt government and social activities in protest against what it described as “the suppression of dissenting voices under the repressive government of Pastor Umo Eno.”
The women announced a unanimous decision “to boycott political activities until Governor Umo Eno releases Princess God’sown Udoito from prison,” alleging that she was arrested for questioning the governor’s decision to sell the Ekid ancestral land, Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, without the consent of the Ekid people.
One of the women leaders, Mrs Ekaette Bassey, said women in Eket and Esit Eket had been mobilised for mass protest, accusing the governor of suppressing freedom of speech and vowing to withdraw support for his second-term ambition.
According to her, all government activities, including political rallies, would be boycotted, warning that “failure to release Princess Udoito within a week would lead to escalated protests.”
She said: “We frown at the action of the Governor and urge him to unconditionally release our daughter, Princess Udoito. If he fails to do so, we will be left with no option than to appear nude and occupy his hotel along the Eket-Oron Road, during the protest.”
The women also accused Governor Eno of using intimidation to silence legitimate agitation, vowing to continue their struggle despite alleged threats.
“For Governor Eno to suppress our freedom of speech is an indication that he doesn’t want our support, and we won’t demonstrate cowardice,” they said.
HURIWA warned that democracy would be undermined if critics of government officials were silenced through the use of force, reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Princess God’sown Udoito from police detention in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
