A constitutional law in Anambra state , Barrister Akirika John-Okolie has described Chief Victor Umeh's arrest as legitimate and procedural, a process carved out by the constitution to interrogate person suspicious of committing an offence contrary to the law of the land.
He commended the operative of the Department of the State Security Service DSS, having complied swiftly with the constitutional provision of arrest, interrogation and release which fails within 48-hours of arrest, if not charge to court immediately.
Akirika stated this in Awka while chatting with journalists to douse the tension created by the arrest of Chief Victor Umeh on the position of law and subsequent release under 24 hours of arrest provided by the constitution.
He said though it was rightly informed that the former national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance and senatorial candidate of APGA in the Anambra central re-rum election, was not handcuffed, before he was whisked to Abuja by road, outlined the procedure of compliance and resistance of arrest would have warranted a suspect to be handcuffed..
“I would say that the arrest of Ohamadike Ndi-APGA by the operative of DSS is procedural, its constitutional and its legitimate, because by virtue of Section 35 Sub-Sec 1c, says the security operatives are entitled to arrest anybody who is reasonably suspected of having committed an offence”.
“So when there is reasonable suspicious of commission of an offence, the security operative are entitled to intervene, I would also say that the arrest or invitation or what its called is procedural because it was predicated on reasonable suspicion of the commission of an offence, as a matter of fact, I want to commend the operatives of DSS the way they handle the entire matter” .
On the position of Handcuffed and caged in a tightfisted in DSS operative van with fierce looking men of the DSS operative guided him to resist escape was a procedural act of the law.“If I recalled that Chief Victor Umeh , the SSA to Umeh on media said that Umeh was though arrested but not handcuffed . The DSS operative exhibited so much maturity. So much decency and so much decorum in arresting him, taking him to Abuja and in what is of utmost importance is that they comply in strict compliance of the law, which states that if you fail to take somebody to a court, you have to release that person within a day.
It’s on record that Victor Umeh was arrested, his statement taken and was released within 48-hours, I will say that DSS comply very swiftly in compliance of the law, especially and particularly with section 35 of the 1999 constitution as amended”. Akirika explained
Umeh's Arrest Is Legitimate | Umeh's Arrest Is Legitimate and Constitutional ----Lawyer
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