LAGOS JULY 26TH
Reactions have continue to trail Wednesday’s deportation of over 70 persons from Lagos city to Onitsha, Anambra state by the Lagos state government, the Governor Peter Obi led administration in Anambra, says it will soon make official statement regarding the incident.The 70 deportees made up of men, women, and children were transported in a truck accompanied by heavily armed policemen and were dumped in Onitsha commercial city at about 2.30am before the truck headed back to Lagos.
Speaking with A Reporter, yesterday on the issue through a telephone call, chief press secretary (CPS) to governor Obi, Mr. Mike Udah, said, “though, the governor is not around now , but we are gathering our information, so that when His Excellency comes back he will be properly briefed with a view to enabling him make public statement on the ugly development.
“But as a Nigerian, you will quite agree with me that such action by who so ever did it was completely wrong, because we are all one Nigeria, and our constitution which is our supreme document guarantees citizens the Right to freedom of movement, and to reside in any part of the country they so
desire.
Udah, however, wondered why Onitsha should always be chosen as destination for the offloading of human cargo, even when most of the victims are not from south east or Anambra state, adding that” this is not the first time we are witnessing this kind of ugly incident in Anambra state”
Meanwhile, , an Enugu based legal practitioner, and former commissioner for youth and sports in Enugu state, Barrister Raymond Nnaji, has faulted the Lagos state government action, saying it was absolutely wrong for the Governor Raji Fashola, led administration to have embarked on such
action.
He posited that no state government operating in the entity called Republic of Nigeria , have such powers to deport citizens from one state to the other, insisting that it violates section 141 of the nation’s constitution which guarantees citizens freedom of movement throughout the country, and to
resides in any part they so wish.
Also reacting to the development, the immediate past secretary General of the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio cultural organization Ohaneze Ndigbo, Hon. Chuks Ibeagbu, said” I think Lagos state government do not have any right or moral justification to deport those citizens from Lagos to
Anambra state, since they are not anti social elements or proven to be foreign aliens.”
He insisted that even if they had committed crime in Lagos , there are procedures and due process to try law breakers in the land and not going to deporting Nigerian citizens from one state to another, especially when it is obvious and has been proven that majority of them are not “Igbo not to talk of
hailing from Anambra state.
“So, am saying that it is totally wrong for Lagos state government to have treated their fellow Nigerians that way, it is uncalled for, and besides, even if they are destitute as some people are claiming, is that the best way to handle them? or, are there no Lagos state indigenes that are destitute in other states of the federation .“ he asked.
“As a civilized people, what the Lagos state government ought to have done was to take them to various rehabilitation homes through the ministry of women affairs and social development, in the case of confirmed destitution and not treating them like aliens in their own father land.
Source: African Examiner
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