It was my brother and personal friend, Comrade Kenneth Uwadi, who drew my attention to the arrest of one Aku Obidinma popularly called “Abdul” who prides himself as the National Coordinator of Imo Bilie Initiative (IBIN), by Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

In the course of finding out the bone of contention, I stumbled on a piece written by another brother and friend of mine, Comrade Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Coordinator of Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria – NOPRIN.

However, it was Comrade Precious Nwadike, Publisher of Imo Community Watchdog newspaper, who called to inform me that Aku Obidinma (Abdul) had been remanded at the Owerri Federal Prisons till January 17, 2017 when he would make another appearance at the magistrate court located in Nworieubi in Mbaitoli Local Government Area. Further enquiry showed that Aku Obidinma was given stringent bail conditions.

It was at this point that I resolved to wade into the matter, as a veteran of many battles. Aku Obidinma was remanded in prison custody on Thursday the 24th of November 2016, so on Friday the following day, I visited the Owerri Federal Prisons to see some people and at the same time, to see him.

When Prison officials brought Aku to me at the office of the Chief Warder, he was happy and delighted that at least a “GENERAL” came to see him. I asked him several questions to which he responded. But he complained bitterly of the hard bail conditions given to him by the

magistrate. I equally asked him to confirm if he truly accused the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere in his publication on Facebook, of being a murderer and other sundry crimes. Aku responded by telling me that his Facebook Account was hacked, and that those publications against the Deputy Governor were not made by him.

At this point, I felt disappointed that Aku Obidinma could not stand firm. It was at this point that I knew that he did not have serious evidence against the Deputy Governor. It was at this point that I knew that he is just an ASPIRANT.

O yes, he is an aspiring critic, an aspiring crusader and an aspiring Human Rights Activist who does not have the liver and strength to withstand the heat. He does not have the muscle and

will-power to fight on. Nevertheless, I assured him that I would get across to the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere to hear his own side of the story, and of course getting the number two citizen to use his position and influence to relax the stringent bail conditions, so

that he can enjoy his freedom once again. Aku was happy with my decision and action plan.

Before I left the Prisons, I instructed my boys and friends who are inmates to protect and make Aku feel at home. Outside the Prison complex, I put a call to His Excellency the Deputy Governor and he quickly picked. We had discussions on the issue and agreed I would come to his house the following day being Saturday the 26th of November 2016. On Saturday morning during clean-up hours, I was at his residence. His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Uche Onwuchekwa, was already waiting for me, and I was ushered into the inner chamber (room).

Shortly after, His Excellency, the Deputy Governor walked in and we had fruitful discussions. He confirmed that Aku Obidinma (Abdul) was his aide before he was dropped. He told me a lot of things in confidence.

At this point, let me inform the reading public that it will be unethical for me to reveal what a high profile political leader told me in confidence.

Nevertheless, I was able to confirm that Prince Eze Madumere never instructed DSS to arrest, detain and arraign Aku Obidinma in Court.

The Deputy Governor explained that he only dragged the publisher of Nigerian HORN Newspaper, Chief Bright Chimezie Njoku, to court over a publication written and signed by Aku Obidinma which was against his person. But he later withdrew the matter from the Court when Pastor (Mrs) Henrietta Jacobs and her husband of New Wave Assembly Church Ikenegbu Layout Owerri intervened by settling the issues between him and Nigerian Horn Newspaper publisher, Bright Chimezie.

However, it appeared that the withdrawal of the case from court (perhaps) emboldened Aku Obidinma to launch a continued attack on Prince Eze Madumere. For this reason, the DSS reportedly invited Aku Obidinma and cautioned him. Let me also inform the reading public that I made further enquiries at the DSS office and was able to confirm that the whole problem came to a boiling point when Aku Obidinma attended a radio programme in the state capital (Owerri) on Monday the 21st of November 2016, wherein he reportedly lambasted the Deputy Governor of the State.

Perhaps acting out of over-zealousness, the men of the DSS decided to lay ambush on Aku Obidinma. After the radio programme Aku was dropped off by his colleagues who accompanied him to the radio station. Shortly after, DSS operatives swooped on him and abducted him using five Keke Napep tricycles as a decoy.

This is the point where I am now angry. Why must DSS officials abduct a citizen of this country on the road and in a Gestapo style? This goes to show that some high profile crimes like kidnapping are perhaps carried out by DSS operatives. They are indeed criminals operating as security agents. They shamelessly abducted (kidnapped) Aku Obidinma, seized his phones, and kept him incommunicado for three days. This is an unpardonable crime. This is an assault on human right. The DSS operatives are shameless, stupid, useless and in fact untrained. Why must they treat a citizen like an animal?

Aku Obidinma attended a radio programme in Owerri but the shameless DSS operatives abducted and kept him incommunicado for three days before arraigning him in a magistrate court located in another Local Government Area. This shows that DSS operatives in Imo State are untrained, hopeless, senseless and unprofessional.

Not long ago, precisely on the 13th of May 2016, I wrote and published an article entitled “DSS AND THEIR EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS IN NIGERIA. In the said article, I gave the DSS serious punches. It appears they have not learnt their lessons.

Let me therefore appeal to His Excellency, Prince Eze Madumere, to brush or wave aside whatever that might have transpired between him and his former aide, Aku Obidinma, and step out as a leader and father to rescue his boy from the clutches of DSS insanity, unconstitutional and undemocratic assault to his right. He should step out to save his boy from the high handed stringent bail conditions given to him by the Magistrate in Nwaorieubi who has reportedly established himself as a judicial hatchet officer.

His Excellency, Prince Eze Madumere, is a man of peace. Few days ago, he rescued a man who was being lynched by an angry mob. He can do it again. He should step forward to rescue Aku Obidinma. As a leader with the National Honour, MFR, he should see Aku Obidinma (Abdul) as his own son and constituent, and as such do the needful, which is to bring him out from prison.

Let me at this juncture caution those writing rubbish and nonsense on facebook and other social media platforms, to tread cautiously as far as this matter is concerned. These inflammable writers have not taken time to visit Aku Obidinma (Abdul) at the Owerri Federal Prisons; neither have they visited Prince Eze Madumere to hear him out.

I am therefore most humbly directing all and sundry to rest their pen. Refusing to do so will only aggravate the condition, fate and trouble of Aku Obidinma (Abdul).

I am a veteran of many battles. I am a “GENERAL”. I am the only socio-political crusader in Imo State who spare-headed the removal of a sitting Governor. I am the only Socio-political crusader who exposed fraud and corruption in high places involving my former boss. I am the

only activist in Imo state who removed and transferred a serving Commissioner of Police. I am the only activist in Imo State who saw to the retirement of an Assistant Inspector General of Police. I am the only Socio-political crusader in Imo State who almost dethroned a traditional Ruler. I am the only activist in Imo State who has proffered solutions to the myriad of problems facing the state. I am the only critic who has openly fought for the masses and the less privileged in the society in Imo State, damning the consequences. I am the only person in Imo State whose blood was spilled in the office of the Governor. Finally, I am the only political appointee in the history of Imo State Government who meritoriously served this state by returning unspent funds running into millions of naira to the State Government. Therefore when I speak, I should be listened to.

His Excellency, Prince Eze Madumere, should be given the privilege to rescue Aku Obidinma. Nobody, I repeat nobody will effectively reconcile an OGA and his aide. We were not there when they were together. The matter is deeper than what most people think.

•Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, whose photo appears alongside this piece, is a former Senior Special Assistant on Media at the Imo State House of Assembly.

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