, Demands Immediate Release Or ‘Dire Consequences’
The project was said to have been abandoned 10 years ago and Otagba visited, posting it on his Facebook timeline.
The Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), Delta state has condemned in strong terms what it called the “illegal” arrest of Comedian, Ajirioghene Otagba popularly known as MC 2Kingdom.
The Nigeria Police Force on Friday arrested and detained the Delta State-based comedian, Ajirioghene Otagba, popularly known as MC 2 Kingdom, over a Facebook video, questioning the abandonment of the Isoko 132 KVA substation electricity project.
SaharaReporters gathered that Otagba had few days ago visited the project site in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State and made a video speaking on the abandoned project and calling on the contractor, Matthew Edevbie, to return to site and complete the project.
The project was said to have been abandoned 10 years ago and Otagba visited, posting it on his Facebook timeline.
SaharaReporters learnt that following the video posted by Otagba on his facebook timeline, the contractor, Matthew Edevbie, who is an elder brother to Delta State former finance commissioner and 2014 and 2023 PDP governorship aspirant, David Edevbie, put up a petition of defamation and cyber stalking against Otaba.
The comedian was thereafter arrested on Friday afternoon in Lagos State and taken to the Force Headquarter Annex, Obalende Lagos, where he is being detained.
Condemning the arrest of the comedian, the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), in a statement on Saturday, signed by its President, Eniwake Orogun and obtained by SaharaReporters, warned that if Otagba was not released immediately and unconditionally there would be “dire consequences.”
While calling on the Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene on what they called ‘illegal’ arrest, the youths appealed to a former governorship aspirant and brother to the contractor, David Edevbie to prevail on his brother to release Otagba unconditionally.
The statement noted that “We have received the news of the arrest of an Isoko son by Chief Matthew Edevbie, the elder brother to a former Delta State Governorship aspirant, David Edevbie in respect to a video he made, calling for the completion of the 132 kva substation electricity project awarded to Chief Matthew by NDDC with the aim of improving power supply in Isoko 14 years ago.
“We have watched the video severally and found no reason whatsoever for the arrest, rather he should be commended by Edevbie and all meaningful individuals as it conforms to the federal government whistle blowing policy. In the said video, the public and concerned stakeholders were notified of the vandalism going on at the project site. Edevbie was also called out to return to site and complete the project. Rather than order a police arrest, he should have come out to explain any challenge or impediment to this project. The project is important to us and we want it completed.
“Equally worrisome is the fact that the alleged ‘offence’ was committed in Ozoro, Delta state where the project site is situated but Chief Edevbie arrested this noble Isoko son in Lagos State in preparation for onward transfer to Abuja. This is purely is a case of intimidation. Let it be known to Chief Edevbie and his company that we shall not stand idly and watch one of us being blatantly intimidated and attempt to silence the call for the completion of the project.
“As a responsible organisation, we are patiently waiting for the constitutionally allowed time for which Mr. Ajirioghene Otagba can be held in police custody before he can be charged to court, failure upon which shall be met with strong resistance as never seen before in the state, otherwise, he should be released unconditionally. We are familiar with antics of the rich against the perceived weak and so will be unsurprised if the petition against Mr. Otagba will include mundane issues of threat to life, tarnishing of image and other concoctions. We are waiting.
“We call on Olorogun David Edevbie to do the needful to protect his family name from being dragged to the mud. He must act timely and wisely immediately. We call on the state governor to intervene immediately to avoid anarchy and chaos as there is already palpable tension and brewing unrest across Isoko which we shall not shy away from taking the lead should that become necessary.”, the statement concluded.
Also, the political class and leadership of Isoko nation have thrown their weights behind Otagba’s agitation and questioning of the abandoned project by the contractor and demanded for the immediate unconditional release of their son.
The Isoko nation while condemning in its entirety the arrest and detention of the comedian, cautioned the contractor and the police to tread with care as all the things said in the video were true reflection of the reality on ground.
Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), had in 2020 secured a final forfeiture of N827, 679,098.32 (Eight Hundred and Twenty-Seven Million, Six Hundred and Seventy-Nine Thousand, Ninety-Eight Naira, Thirty-Two Kobo) from Matthew Edevbie, Chief Executive Officer of Flank Power Resources Limited and GMFD Ventures Limited, both of whom were firms linked to contractors with the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC).
The forfeiture followed the order of Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, sequel to an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC investigator, in which the commission prayed the court for the forfeiture of the sum to the federal government of Nigeria, being proceeds of unlawful activity, traced to some contractors’ accounts with Zenith Bank.
The EFCC had secured the interim forfeiture of the money on June 8, 2020 and its final forfeiture was granted by the court on June 29, 2020.