The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has seriously frowned at the arrest of an Africa Independent Television (AIT) journalist, Mr. Amechi Anakwe in following the directives of the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Mr. Joseph Mbu in Abuja.
The congress appealed to the Federal Government to tame Mr. Mbu, who placed himself as a Lion when he said “that we shall resist any attempt to gag the press or harass any one going about their lawful duty in a peaceful and lawful manner”.
This appeal was contained in a statement signed by the Congress’ General Secretary, Dr. Peter Ozo- Eson.
Part of the statement read, “It is too soon to forget that the media played a leading role in securing the fourth republic for Nigerians. That task was not accomplished by playing the lapdog of everyone”.
Furthermore, the NLC observed that the offence committed by the journalist as acclaimed by Mbu was referring to him to him as “controversial”, which they didn’t see any derogation or proof of libel in it.
On the contrary, the NLC maintained that even if the statement was libelous or slanderous, that there were better legal ways to address it rather than allowing Mbu to be the judge and prosecutor in his own case.
“Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to which we are all answerable in spite of our station in life,” it maintained.
As reported by Vanguard the Labour Centre stated, “The arrest and detention of Mr Anekwe is therefore a calculated attempt to muzzle the press and free speech in a democracy. And it does not appear to be an isolated case as a few months earlier, this same Mbu violently broke up the Bring-Back-the -Chibok- Girls Campaign on the basis of a non-existent law, drawing international condemnation of the government.
“His (Mr. Mbu’s) antecedents in Rivers State from where he was deployed to Abuja are not less sinister. Rather than receive a reprimand, Mbu was rewarded with a choice posting and promotion, with not a few speculating that he is being positioned to be IGP”.
The NLC further recollected that “A few weeks ago, a chest- thumping Mbu had boasted at his hand-over ceremony that he was “the lion that tamed the tiger of Rivers State.
”Much earlier though unrelated to Mbu, newspaper publications adjudged not to be friendly to the government were routinely seized and destroyed”.
Therefore, the congress felt the necessity to, “Sound a note of caution on Mr Mbu. His above- the-law attitude to the work of law enforcement gives him out as one that is more inclined to promoting anarchy than the rule of law”.
From the point of view of the Congress, “He ( Mbu) does not seem to represent the mainstream 21st century police if his routine primitive, partisan and primordial outbursts are anything to go by. He is a serial embarrassment to the Police Force we need.
Meanwhile, the NLC maintained that Nigerians need “…a Police Force that is concerned with public good, law, order and justice. We doubt Mr Mbu is in the right company”.
“A word for those that invest and promote lions. Quite often times, they end up in their bellies,” the statement concluded.
