Arrest of Warri Journalists: You must fish out your squad

The Human Rights Defenders Organization of Nigeria on Saturday said the IGP Squad(Monitoring Unit) who unlawfully arrested and detained five Journalists in Warri, Delta State must be fished out and prosecuted.

The group said if they are found guilty of any wrongs against the Journalists, they should be dismissed from the Police Force.

The National Chairman of the Human Right Defenders Organization of Nigeria, Mr. Casely Omon-Irabor Esq who was reacting to the unlawful arrests and detention of the Journalists argued that there are no “criminal liability” by law in civilized climes.

According to the legal practitioner, “You cannot be answerable for the offense of another man, of your brother, of your sister, of your son, of your wife. It is an individual thing because there must be an intention to commit a crime. That cannot be put on another person.

” So, when a person commits an offense and you put it on another person, you are the one committing the offense.

“There’s no way somebody could have been arrested in lieu of someone else who was linked to him. Just because you are friends, family, you’re arrested. Then, the whole world would be arrested.”

Mr. Omon-Irabor who condemned the arrests and detention of the five Journalists said, “It is so uncivilized.”

While noting that the Nigeria Police Force is not an individual thing, Mr. Omon-Irabor said, “it is an institution we all cherish. ”

He warned that Police Officers must try to abhor tendencies of good behaviours.

According to him, “If a few eggs misbehave, we must show them the way out. Those men must be fished out and be tried and when they’re found guilty, they should be dismissed from the Police Force.”