Election 2019: PDP supporters kick as police detains Senator Ibrahim
There is currently outrage on social media by supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state over the arrest of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, a serving senator and senatorial candidate for the Kwara south senatorial district in the state.
Ibrahim, the chairman Senate committee on banking, insurance and other financial institutions, was arrested on Thursday, February 21 after clashes between his supporters and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The action of the police has sparked outrage by members of the PDP in the state and beyond, who are calling for the release of the senator via the hashtag #FreeSenRafiu
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The PDP supporters accuse the police of bias and an attempt to intimidate the party ahead of the polls, but some APC members disagree, saying the senator must face justice for ordering his boys to shoot at the campaign train of his opponent.
APC supporters say the shooting by Senator Ibrahim's boys resulted to the death of three party members, a claim Legit.ng couldn't verify at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, a leading pro-democracy group in Kwara state, Kwara Must Change, said it received with great excitement, the news of arrests and detention of Senator Ibrahim and 9 other suspects.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Thursday, February 21 by KMC state coordinator, Comrade Yusuf Olatunji, the group said more arrests should be made in connection to the attacks.
“Kwara Must Change is of the view that, while every suspect remain innocent until proven otherwise, we believe the arrest of Senator Rafiu shows that no one is above the law and that nobody, no matter how highly placed has a silence to kill or deprive other people of their fundamental rights to life,” the group said.
The group also urged the police to put necessary measures in place to prevent future violence and quickly complete investigation and charge the suspects to court for fair hearing.
In its reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party called for the immediate and unconditional release of Senator Ibrahim and other members of the party.
The party said the federal legislator and his supporters were framed-up, arrested and detained by the police in Kwara state unlawfully.
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“The PDP holds that the continued detention of Senator Ibrahim on the eve of a crucial election, in which he is a lead contender, is completely provocative.
“The party also cautions the police to stop harassing, arresting and detaining its members on flimsy charges, as such will directly pitch security agents against the people in a manner that might spark off violent resistance with regrettable consequences.
“This resort to police brutality by the APC is a script by a losing team which seeks to introduce violence and use the police to execute their rigging plots,” PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan said in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Friday, February 22.
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Source: Legit.ng
