Agenda Papers Editorial: Why is Fredrick Nwajagu, the Ajao estate chief still in prison up to this moment

The attention of the world is once again drawn to the continued incarceration of chief Fredrick Nwajagu popularly known as Ajao estate chief since last year.

Chief Nwajagu was arrested during the heat of last year’s election where he was accused of making inciting statements.

Subsequently Nwajagu was arraigned in court and stood trial on a nine-count charge bordering on an attempt to commit acts of terrorism, financing terrorism, participating in terrorism, and meeting to support a proscribed entity.

Preceding this was his arrest by operatives of the Department of State Services, (DSS), over an alleged threat to invite members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)to Lagos to secure properties of Igbo people in the state.

Now what is the offence of Chief Nwajagu and please judge this.

Peeved by molestation, killing and destruction of the properties of people from the south east region otherwise known as ndi Igbo he was said to have threatened to invite IPOB to Lagos to defend his people.

In as much as we don’t support any act of terrorism or anything that will threaten the security of Lagos or Nigeria but the context and situation he made that statement should be critically appreciated.

That one being aside what is most painful in this whole thing is that it was during same last year’s election that people like MC Oluomo, NURTW chieftain not only said highly provocative, inflammatory statements and threats but actually came out to manhandle voters from South East region telling them that if they know that they were not going to vote for Tinubu and APC they better go inside their house. Pictures and videos of beating and throwing of pepples to them in places like Oshodi are still available as evidence. Also the video of MC Oluomo making the threats and issuing directives for attacks are still available in the public space.

Again in this fold is Bayo Onanuga who was saying many unprintable things against the igbos and one of them that was widely publicized was where he said and wrote that he hates the igbos. Nothing was done to him rather the president rewarded him with a presidential appointment that today he is the official president Tinubu’s spokesman.

Added to this is a plethora of display of vicious utterances by other Nigerians that nothing is being done to them.

Prominent among them is Asari Dokubo whose pictures and videos from time to time go viral on assault on igbos or even making subversive comments about the sovereignty of the country.He is regularly seen with high calibre ammunition and fierce looking militants saying threatening and derogatory things about the igbos and the country. The same Asari Dokubo has visited the president in Aso Rock posing and laughing publicly.

Just recently Asari Dokubo threatened to gun down the Air Force helicopter hovering around his vicinity. What was done to him, nothing! Rather what the military authorities said was that they don’t think Asari Dokubo meant what he said. That was the end of the discussion on the matter.

With the pictures and evidence provided above the question is what on earth did chief Fredrick Nwajagu do that will warrant his continued imprisonment up to this moment. Are we not in the same country or are some people more superior than the others.

The federal government should know that they are pushing a certain group of people to the wall and one day the bubble may burst!

It is as a result of this that the Canadian government shunned Abike Dabiri and the federal government when the issue of Amaka the Canadian woman bursted out few months ago. They simply told Nigeria to go and put their house in order and sort out their ethnic diversity problem management by themselves.

This is also almost the same case with the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu even when the courts have ordered his release. The most annoying thing is that his fellow self determination groups and individuals doing worse things are free walking the streets.

Somebody like Sunday Igbogho who recently led a delegation and took a petition to the British prime minister to grant Yorubas freedom, independence and self determination. He has not been arrested nor quizzed by the federal government and security agencies.

For Nigeria to be a better to live all the ethnic groups in the country should be treated equally. There should not be any sacred cows ,discrimination, partiality, intimidation and harassment of any group or supporting one section of the country against the other.

If this is not urgently addressed let the federal government know that they are toying with a dangerous time bomb which its detonation will not augur well for the country.

A stitch in time they say saves nine.