Arrest of Terab’s Wife: This is Below the Belt!
Your Excellency Gov Kashim Shettima of Borno. I send you this message to far away China where u are presently attending a trade expo to attract investments to our dear state. As the Governor, you qualify to be the father of all Borno people, please release her because you are above this.
You are intellectually well equipped to allow such a thing to repeat itself for the 3rd time in a row after the purported detention of Kolo Adam for politically defending his boss Gov Ali Sheriff, the detention of Bama IDP leaders for attempting to return home and now Sa’a because she is the wife of Grema Terab for whatever reason, Sa”a is my daughter too just like Nana K Shettima your great wife unless u are not ready to spare us or listen to us in our capacity of parents and elders either.
Please, I advise you to limit such a misunderstanding to an invitation and dialogue to solve the matter. None of us knows what tomorrow holds for us in life. please forgive her no matter her offence or that of her husband because u are too big for this.it is stooping too low to incarcerate the wife of a political rival for more than 15 days without charging her to court, whom I also learned had lost her pregnancy due to trauma at the hands of the police.
Your Excellency. I’m writing u in my capacity of one of the traditional fathers and leaders of Thought. Political rivalry is as temporary as life condition itself. For instance, at the pick of my old feud during 2011 election with Sen Gov Ali Sheriff, the Borno political Gladiator who mentored u as Commissioner and later nominated u to takeover from him as governor, the faceoff didn’t stop me from relating with his family and friends. The rest is history as I sacrificed for the interests of the people at the time. In politics, there are no permanent enemies but permanent interests.
You may not know with whom u will pitch your next tent on or before 29th May 2019. Differences of opinion are as old as human existence itself. As an example for us to learn to live with, Allah ( SWT) allowed the devil to plot a rift between the first male children of Prophet Adam and Eve (Hauwa) over the choice of spouses, or how Prophet Yusuf forgave his jealous brothers or how the Prophet Muhammad ( SAW) forgave Abu..S who killed the Prophet’s uncle Hamza when he (Abu S…) accepted Islam. Therefore, I appeal to you to direct the Police Commissioner to release Grema’s wife.
Thank you Your Excellency in advance. Shettima Khalifa Dikwa. 27/4/2018
RELATED:
HOSTAGE TAKING-ARRESTING THE RELATIVE OF A FLEEING SUSPECT: WHAT THE NIGERIAN LAWS SAY.
It is elementary under our laws that it is unlawful, illegal, ultra vires, unconstitutional to arrest the father, mother, son, wife/husband of a fleeing suspect in place of that suspect. It is a serious fundamental rights infraction. It is against chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), African Charter on Human and Peoples Right, Ratification Act Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. It is also against the provision of section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2014 which categorically prohibits arrest in lieu. Some states have domesticated the Act.
But it is equally an offence to screen an offender, to obstruct the law enforcement agents while carrying out their lawful duties.
Relating the above position of the law to what is happening in my home state of Borno, the arrest of Mrs Sa’a Muhamma, the wife of Hon GremaTerab. Although the side of the Nigerian police and the court is not known yet, but if what is being circulated on the social media is anything to go by, arresting Mrs Sa’a Muhammad is illegal, a gross violation of her fundamental & inviolable rights. She must be unconditionally released forthwith.
Assuming without conceding, the Nigerian police has any case against her, her condition (pregnancy) calls for caution in handling her, as she is too fragile to be subjected to the rigours of detention. Ill-health of the accused is a very good ground for granting bail to the accused even in cases of capital offences. The magistrate’s refusal to grant bail to the pregnant woman is a case of want of judicious & judicial exercise of judicial powers, an order in error. My humble legal opinion.
