JUST-IN: Abure regains freedom from police detention, recount arrest ordeal

Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), was detained by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 5, Benin City, Edo State, Mr. Arungwa Nwazule, on Wednesday evening and released.

Abure was reportedly released at roughly 3.05 a.m. on Thursday.

The AIG announced late Wednesday night that the LP National Chairman, the party’s Edo State Chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi, and three others had been detained for “conspiracy, brutal assault, attempted murder, armed robbery, grievous harm, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.”

Speaking to some of his supporters at the AIG Zone 5 offices shortly after his release, Abure remarked that his experiences are unique to those of other freedom fighters around the world.

He claimed that his release by the police was influenced by pressure from sources he did not name, and that assurances were offered that the state chairman, state publicity secretary, and others imprisoned with him would be released in the early hours of Thursday.

Abure, who chastised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for making life unbearable for Nigerians, revealed that since the February 2023 general elections, detractors of the LP had not stopped instigating crises within the party, and that several petitions based on frivolous accusations had been filed against him.

He ensured that he and the party would not be deterred from pursuing the party’s aims.

The text of the four minutes and 32 seconds video of his release reads:

“Let me appreciate all of you for the solidarity, for the support and your commitment. No struggle to liberate the country comes easy. Many countries of the world where freedom fighters have fought for the emancipation of the people, freedom fighters suffer injustice, suffer persecution and it is what is happening to me and my other colleagues since after the general election.

“After the general election, they have been trying to instigate crises in the party, they try to bring false accusations against us. They have talked about forgery against us at a time when it didn’t work, the came with embezzlement. Any person that is aggrieved in the party, they go and instigate them to write a petition against us. And the irony is that the police even act on those and at the end of the day, they discover that those things are false.

“Yesterday, we were making arrangements for the Edo State primaries and of course the police swooped on us and arrested us over what I will not want to discuss now because the investigation is still going on and therefore we would not want to pre-empt them.

“But I must state clearly that following several interventions, they have graciously released me on bail except for the Edo State Chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi and the youth leader. They (police) have also promised that by the early hours of Thursday, they will release them. We are hoping that they will fulfill their promise and release them.

“Whatever is happening to me will not discourage me from the struggle. We must continue to pursue the cause of the people. We must continue to fight for our people till we liberate them. I have said it and I will say it again, it is not capturing power that matters, it is what you do with power.

“Today, APC is in power, life has become more unbearable for the people. Today, the dollar is exchanging for almost N2000. Fuel today is sold for N700 per litre. There is even scarcity now and it is likely the price is going to increase. Inflation, even though it is double digit, it is now above 31 per cent, unemployment has increased and a bag of rice today is sold for N120,000 and minimum wage is N30,000. You can see the paradox, you can see the irony and Nigerians are in for a difficult time.

“Mr President said recently that Nigerians should continue to bear the loss. It is my prayer that not until Nigerians start eating themselves on the street before they realise that they need to do something about the country. Like I said, it is not capturing power that matters, it is what you do with power,” he stated. (Text, excluding headline: Nigerian Tribune)