Hopes of granting bail to embattled Eze Ndigbo of Ajao Estate in Lagos State, Frederick Nwajiagu, who is being detained at the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, over threats to invite members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, to help secure the property of Igbos living in Lagos dimed, yesterday after a team of lawyers and Igbo leaders pleaded in vain for his release.

Nwajiagu has been in detention since last Friday after a combined team of policemen and operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, arrested him in Ejigbo, a suburb of Lagos, where he was taking refuge.

He earlier escaped from his palace in Ajao Estate, when security operatives stormed his house.

It was gathered that earlier, yesterday, a group of Igbo leaders from Lagos and other parts of Igbo land stormed SCIID, Panti to solicit his bail but met a brick wall after they were told that investigation into the case was ongoing.

Our reporter learned that another team of solicitors arrived at the police department only to be told to give detectives time to carry out thorough investigations into the case.

According to one of the lawyers, who pleaded anonymity, “We were there in numbers and we made it clear to the police that our client had spent more than 72 hours in detention and should be granted administrative bail. But, they insisted that we should allow them to complete their investigations.

“We are still wondering whether a mere threat to invite a protective group to help aggrieved people when authorities concerned, including security agencies, woefully failed to do their duties, is such a heinous crime that will make an innocent man be so unjustly incarcerated.

“We also proceeded to police headquarters in Ikeja from Panti to seek an audience with the Commissioner of Police, but we could not see him. He was said to be in a crucial meeting but one of his aides promised to discuss it with his boss.”

The lawyer noted that if all efforts fail, they would have no option but to go to court to seek to enforce his fundamental rights.

Cabinet members go into hiding

In another development, it was gathered that all the members of the Eze Ndigbo cabinet in Ajao Estate have gone into hiding following the rumour that detectives would come for their arrest.

It was learned that some of them had already fled from Lagos, while others have gone into hiding in remote areas of Lagos.

It was gathered that their fear emanated from unsubstantiated information that detectives have been directed to arrest all the cabinet members of the Eze Ndigbo and other people featured in the 49-second video shared on Twitter.

However, police sources said the rumour was unfounded, adding: “Detectives are still on the matter but I doubt if the case will degenerate to carrying out the mass arrest. Whatever information we need, we are capable of getting it. So, there is no cause for alarm.”

(Vanguard)

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