A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Lai Olurode, has warned the Federal Government against maltreating Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho following his arrest in Cotonou, Benin Republic on Monday night.
Olurode said Igboho should be treated with dignity and be accorded the right to legal representation so that the international community would not see Nigeria as a lawless society.
Although Igboho has not been brought to Nigeria following the arrest, he said he should be treated with dignity where he is now and if he was eventually brought to Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers held at The Wings Schools, Iwo on Tuesday, the former Head, Department of Sociology at the University of Lagos, also advised the Federal Government to address the issues which Igboho and the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu were fighting against.
He added that the Federal Government should follow the rule of law in everything they want to do in Igboho’s case, saying anything short of that would portray the government as not having respect for rule of law.
Olurode said, “Although I know there will be legal representation for him, I hope he will not be maltreated.
“The way the FG handles Igboho’s case will portray the state either in a good manner or bad. Now that he is arrested, the state has demonstrated its formidability as an institution. I will only caution that he should be treated with respect and access to legal representation and he should be accorded the right as a citizen of Nigeria.
The former INEC boss said some Nigerians believe the government was being hard on some set of people while pampering criminals who were troubling the country. He said the government must show that this is not true.
“The state should not be seen relating with some sets of people with sticks while relating with others with carrots. The state should demonstrate that there is no untouchable in the country. People believe that some people who are so drastic and draconian are been treated with glove hands. The state should communicate in an equivocal statement that it is committed to upholding law and order,” he added.
