IPDI Condemns arrest of Obaseki SSA Godstime, demands his immediate release

By Teide Emomotimi

The Pan-Ijaw pressure group, the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, IPDI, has condemned in a strong term what it described as the unlawful arrest and detention of Hon. God’stime Ogidigba who is a current SSA to the Edo state governor on waterways.

This was disclosed to newsmen in Edo State by its president Comrade Ozobo Austin, and Comrade Emma Ken, national secretary on Thursday.

According to the group, the arrest was barbaric, inciting and provocative and could generate bad blood in the creek except urgent steps were taken to release him.

The group narrated that a wanted militant in the Inikorogha community petitioned Comrade God’stime SSA to Edo State Government to the Inspector General of Police, IGP for opposing his evil and criminal deeds, adding that the petition was frivolous, mischievous and libellous.

IPDI said it was shameful that the same IGP who had refused to act on various petitions against the purported militant in the Inikorogha community was now in haste to honour and act on a mischievous petition written by the suspected militants in the community against God’stime.

They demanded that the IGP should act on all previous petitions against the said militant and his co-travellers by concerned stakeholders in the state with all alacrity. The group insisted that the suspected militant who is the petitioner should be invited to Abuja by the IGP for questioning of all his criminal activities contained in the previous petitions against him.

They called on the IGP to release God’stime without further delay to avoid provocations and distortion of the prevailing peace in the Niger Delta region.