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ABDUCTION OF EKITI GUBERNATORIAL ASPIRANT, ABIMBOLA OLAJUMOKE OLAWUNMI: A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW – GROUP
We, the family, legal team and concerned associates of *Ms. Abimbola*, gubernatorial aspirant challenging her disqualification by the APC party leadership in the Ekiti State gubernatorial race, wish to alert the general public, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and all security agencies of her brazen and unlawful abduction.
*WHAT HAPPENED:*
Ms. Abimbola, a young Nigerian woman seeking justice through lawful means, had taken her case to the Supreme Court, the apex court of the land, where she cited a recent judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Wike.
At the Supreme Court, she was directed to produce the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the said judgment. She immediately applied for the CTC at the Court of Appeal and was asked to return for collection in the evening.
Tragically, on her way back to the Supreme Court, her vehicle was waylaid along the route by armed men operating in a brown, tinted-glass pickup vehicle. The men, who claimed to be policemen but were in no identifiable uniform or marked official vehicle, whisked her away to an unknown destination in a manner reminiscent of guerrilla-style abduction.
As at the time of filing this press statement, her whereabouts remain unknown.
The matter has been formally reported at the Police Post at the Supreme Court premises.
*OUR STAND:*
1. We condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly, barbaric and undemocratic act. It is an attack not just on Abimbola, but on the judiciary, on democracy, and on every Nigerian citizen’s right to seek justice.
2. No one should be abducted for seeking justice in court. If our courts can no longer guarantee the safety of litigants moving from one court to another, then our democracy is in grave danger.
3. We call on the Inspector General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Federal Government of Nigeria to act swiftly to secure her immediate and unconditional release.
4. We call on the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal to take judicial notice of this dangerous trend of intimidating litigants.
We put the Federal Government, the Nigerian public, the Nigerian Bar Association, civil society organizations, and the international community on notice that Ms. Abimbola’s life is in danger.
We urge anyone with useful information about her whereabouts to report to the nearest police station.
We remain resolute and we will not be intimidated. We demand that justice be done and be seen to be done.
Signed:
For: Team of Ms. Abimbola Olajumoke Olawumi
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