 Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State allegedly arrested and tortures June 12 protestors and a Fenniferra, Panda, the Christian Association of Nigerian Others ruffled feathers over President Bahá'u Ráha's Democracy Day speech. This is Plus Politics and I am Mary Anacorn. Cross River State Government has been accused of arresting and torturing protestors who came out to protest on Saturday June 12, the nation's Democracy Day. The protestors were demanding improved governance, carried placards and inscriptions such as Ayade pay old salaries and pensions. Ayade change your style of governance amongst others. Previously the Cross River State Government had warned against Democracy Day processions in the state on June 12 saying the ban on processions in the state has not been lifted. Joining us to discuss this is James Ibo. He is a legal practitioner and Alfred Mboto. He is the Permanent Secretary of Special Services, Governor's Office, Cross River State. Thank you very much gentlemen for joining us. Thank you. Thank you. All right. I'm going to start with you Mr Ibo. You are one of the people who complained about the alleged torturing and arrest by government house operatives. And first question that comes to mind is where was the police in all of this and how come government house operatives were the ones who allegedly kidnapped protesters or rather arrested protesters? Okay. What actually happened was that my client was arrested on the 11th day of June 2021 and the argument we had because he was mobilizing for the protest on the 12th. Who's your client? Abad Jalingu. Okay. Abad Jalingu is a publisher of consumer watch. He was invited by the police on the 11th and there was the same for about three hours and the outcome of his detention was that he had an agreement with the police commissioner on the nature of our process. The proposed process which was the reason why Abad Jalingu was invited and let that the same for about three hours. We had an agreement with the commissioner of police that we are going to change the venue of our meeting to the premises of Cross River watch which is Abad Jalingu's premises. That is for our meeting and celebration of June 2021. So you're telling me that you did not protest but that you rather... We protested but we followed strictly the guidelines and the advice of the commissioner of police. For instance, our process was supposed to start at the freedom back on the 9th by 9 a.m. But the commissioner of police advised that our process and demonstration would rather take place in premises of Cross River watch. And instead of 9, it was 10 o'clock to give his officers the time to mobilize and give us the necessary protection. So we refused to gather until it was 10 o'clock. When we confirmed from the police public relations officer and other police officers that whose numbers they're giving to us to contact that they were on ground. We gathered at about 10 o'clock and in the presence of the state security service and the national police, we started our meeting, we started singing and dancing within the premises of Cross River watch as agreed. And so just at the point we were about to take attendance, we have been rounded up. We noticed the convoy of the governor. They did a round turn three times twice and the third time they stopped in front of the office and ordered us to run. We saw no reason why we should be running when they were fucking their gun. So we decided rather stop before they came and boarded us into their vehicles, chlugged the police officers who were trying to talk to them that there had been no crisis. Sorry, sorry. Hold on, hold on. Did you say they flugged police officers? Is that what you said? Did you say that they flugged police officers? They shoved police officers violently. Okay, I want it to be certain. They shoved police officers violently and remember they had known them that and they wanted to go back. They bundled us into their truck, got us thoroughly beaten, they fought the best way and then also blindfolded us. So when you were blindfolded, where do you think you were taken to? Because obviously you wouldn't know where you were going to but where do you think you were taken to? Yeah, they actually, I think they actually threw us around town. Remember, they have three trucks of our clothes. We're bare-bodied. They use our clothes to tie our feet. Interesting. I'm just going to, because we're having connection issues with you, I'm going to go to Mr. Mboto. Mr. Mboto, you are obviously in charge of sudden security issues and you rent the special services on behalf of the governor's office in Cross River stage. I know I have spoken with you before on issues of insecurity in the state. Can you help us understand exactly what happened on June 12 and the claims that are being made by Mr. Ibo? Honestly speaking, I'm very, very surprised because I know that before even this time I had been on air, reminding the police, every other secret agency I've been on air, reminding every cross riverians that they burn on protest. Are you hearing me? Yes, sir. Are you getting me? The burn on protest and the large crowd gatherings were still enforced in Cross River state. The government has not provided any pressure for doing this. But the government did put out a statement. I remember seeing it on the day before June 12, that there was a ban. It was a ban on any protest. Does the government or the governor of Cross River state understand that protests are supposedly rights of every single Nigerian under the constitution? And does he understand that he doesn't have a right to ban protests but he can only ask people to not come out? But then he cannot ban protests. I'm just trying to understand if you all under that administration understand what the constitution says about it. The ban on protest had to do because of the experiences we had during the end fast. When a protest was given approval to hold and within the shortest time, it was hijacked and the destruction level was high. And so for any other person trying to make any protest here, in order to get approval from the Secretary of Justice, the police. And so that was guided on that that the government is very, very interested in making sure that the citizens are protected and what happened in Ensa does not repeat in Cross River state that was given. Are we together? Hello? I'm listening. Yes. So that was given because of the experiences we had during the end fast, which we gave every police protection was there and the whole lot came in and hijacked it. And it was said that we had to re-interate. If anybody wants to make any whatever he wants to do, he has to get the approval of the commissioner of police. And truly speaking, we have been on surveillance. We went around the whole town. I am very surprised. I'm just hearing it from what you're saying. Yes. Because I didn't see any. Like I did tell you, I've never seen any protest in Talaba. I've never seen any protest in the whole state of all those, all the items that we went around to go around and making sure that whoever that was moving, there was protection. Because I know the markets were full. Every place was normal. So you're telling me that you had no knowledge that these people were protesting or that there were a group of people protesting in front of Cross River Watch's premises or that your people who were on surveillance never had anything to do with that. So you're telling me that with all of the surveillance you did, you did not pass through the streets where there was Cross River State Watch and you didn't see any humans with placards because I saw that video on social media. And I was wondering why they were standing on the side of the street to protest but I didn't realize until now. So you're telling me you didn't see these people and that their claims are false? Yeah. I'm telling me the government should have myself, the surveillance covered everywhere across the state and in every two minutes there have been reports of what is happening here, what is happening. John, like you rightly said, when he said that they did it so that it's where the client was invited I was very happy he said, he changed the word because before I say he was arrested before he now said he was invited for the dialogue with the police and that and that. So we had a very wide group of conditional surveillance. So at any time it's fine, nothing happens in the state that I don't get. So I'm curious, I'm just going to ask you one more question and go back to James so that he can corroborate the story but I've asked you and you're telling me that you didn't see anything so why would Mr. James Ebor and his client and every other person who was arrested try to give the governor of your state a bad name. Explain to me please. I wouldn't know. Truly speaking, I wouldn't know. That may be personal to whatever because truly speaking, you can come into an interview, go around. You see that nobody in Calabar, let me use Calabar as an example. Nobody in Calabar, nobody in the state said there was any protest in Cusseman. I never saw. And all the people that were deprived from surveillance of making sure because not only before even that day, they had intelligence that they were planned attacks on the state. Remembering that this is the only state within the south side there where those who are abiding are not being attacked by what's happening in other areas. So we needed to make sure we put everything in place where those who long don't have access to coming to bring the havoc that they did to bring the answer. Alright, back to you Mr. Ebor. There was a lot of surveillance, at least by now, if not them, would have even heard it from the police too. They've not had anything. Let's bring Mr. James Ebor back into the conversation. Mr. James Ebor, can you hear me? I can hear you louder. So you have heard Mr. Emboto. He's saying that there was no protest. His men were out on surveillance. This is the first time he's hearing of this story. It sounds to him more like cock-a-boo. So again, where on planet Earth were your people protesting? Because I did see a video, but of course we do not have access to that video to be able to tell if it's real or not. But where were your people? Who arrested you? And I remember that part of your conversation was that you were rescued by the State Commissioner of Police. Explain to us where exactly you were and how the Commissioner of Police got into this conversation. Exactly. You know, it's actually strange. It shows that the State Secretary advisor is inconsistent because the SSS took videos of us. The Police Commissioner, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of oppression took videos of us and said, if you're an additional police officer in charge of our team, the area we were protesting within the premises of Cross River Watch also was with us. In fact, she was too violent. She almost fell into the gutter when the convoy of the governor arrived. So is either the State Secretary advisor dishonest or he's very ignorant about the Secretary's situation of Cross River Watch. Yes, there was no protest in public but within the premises of Cross River Watch. In fact, we were not only blindfolded of people. They flanted life ammunition or not. Maybe they had other plans. Maybe they had other plans and did undergoing treatment as I speak to you now. It is shameful because if you go around some people, individuals were tutoring and for the State Secretary advisor if nothing happened, he's not aware of anything strange. We were driven around some bare-bodied with our faces blindfolded. Before later, we were taken to the State Police Department we were handed over to oppression of others. They went ahead to search our premises and they released us on conditionally. When they found that the allegation that we were causing, we were protesting on the street and causing a problem, the police discovered that it was false. The people who arrested us, the convoy that is similar to the one that has caused the governor with motorbikes close to about 10 motorbikes. Interesting. Now that you have, like you said, you are receiving treatment because the messages you sent, you also talked about the fact that some of you ingested some substances that you do not know and you're still trying to get better. Yes, I was flitted with peppery substances even when I told them I needed inhaler that I must pass it. They were spitting it in my nose. They attempted to kill me. It's an attempted murder. So I'm going to ask you the same question I asked. I'm going to ask you the same question I asked, Ms. Damboto. Why would the government want to kill or harm your members if the police had given you according to the government you had to get permission from the police or inform the police? If you have done all of this, would the government be after you? What exactly would they be gaining from harming you or maybe the weapons that were planted on you? Let me give you a background. Apagalingo is already an enemy. The state has declared it an enemy. There is a concept in different costs in state. So it was also surprising that even when we tried to maintain the peace they would want to do something to protect peaceful demonstration. I think he was a primary target and because the state, the state governor has personally declared in the personal non-crata and they would not like to see him discussing anything that is to sensitize the public about the malattic situation and the corruption in the system. Okay. Finally, Ms. Damboto, before we go would you like to respond to what he has said? He has made claims that the government is afraid of any speech or anybody that would want to attack it in terms of the alleged corruption, malhandling of government, etc. In your assessment do you think that the state is safe under Governor Ayadee and these allegations that are being made do you think they are baseless or not? I think those are personal perceptions that I think it is not correct as far as the securities concept the governor has put in a very strong security structure that even what is even baffling name on it the police are there as he rightly said if the police came and saw that some person was malhandling some other person what is the police supposed to do? So to tell you that it is not as he is saying I think it is just not a personal assumption I don't think that You haven't answered my question sir so I am going to ask it again from your assessment the special duties under the governor how safe do you think Cross River State has been so far? Cross River State has been very safe in the Nigeria because the security structure is quite fine robust and the synergy is strong and look at it statistically go to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics they tell you go to it now it is Cross River State Are you speaking as a member of the cabinet of the governor someone who is loyal to the governor or are you speaking as a citizen of the state who truly is saddled with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the people in the state I am a permanent secretary inside of security I am not talking in German would you be speaking against the government if you were not necessarily working for the government? I am a permanent secretary I will speak what is true if that is right okay well I want to say thank you to you James Ibo is a legal practitioner in Cross River State and of course James Ibo is the permanent secretary special services governor's office thank you very much gentlemen for being part of this conversation we have to go now well thank you all for staying with us we will take a break and when we come back social and political organizations express their disappointment with respect