Hunger Protests: Bashir Hadejia’s Family Decries Alleged Police Harassment

Family members of a detained hunger protester, Bashir Hadejia, have cried out over alleged police harassment and intimidation, saying their lives might be in danger.

Head of the family and father of the detained protester, Alhaji Umaru Hadejia, made the allegation in a statement he personally signed and made available yesterday.

Alhaji Hadejia in the statement claimed that the police had arrested and detained him alongside five of his children on Monday without any justifiable cause.

He recalled that the family had earlier secured an order from the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, seeking to enforce the fundamental human rights of his family.

Bashir is being held by the police after he was arrested by the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), supported by operatives from the Force Intelligence Department-Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), for his alleged role in the Endbadgovernance and hunger protests in August this year.

Defendants in the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja are: the Inspector-General of Police, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, the State Security Service (SSS); the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Defence Intelligence Agency, and the Chief of Defence Staff.

The Hadejia family members want  to be released pending the hearing and determination of the originating sermon before the court.

In the statement titled, “Unlawful detention and prosecution by the Inspector General of Police under the directive of the Minster of State for Defence Bello Matawalle,” Alhaji Hadejia said his son was still being detained even though a Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered his release.

The statement read, “l along with my five children (Bashir, Bello, Mahmud, Abubakar and Ahmad) have been unlawfully detained without any warrant of arrest and without any charge levied against us at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) unit in Abuja by the Inspector General of Police under the directive of the Minister of State (Defence) Bello Matawalle since 30th September, 2024 at around 6pm.

“The previously spurious allegations against Bashir by the Inspector General of Police and the Minister of State (Defence) Bello Matawalle, which were widely circulated in the social media were found to be false because the Police investigations themselves did not find any cause to charge Bashir to court. Up to now, the Police could not charge Bashir on any of those allegations.

“Despite this, the Police could not release Bashir, which then forced us to go to court to secure his release and enforcement of his fundamental human rights. Upon which the court granted bail and ordered for his release on the 5th of September 2024. Still, the Police refused to release Bashir until the 25th September 2024.

“However, I and my above-named children are still being illegally detained by the Inspector General of Police under the directive of the Minister of Defence (State) Bello Matawalle without warrant of arrest and any charge against us. I fear for our lives and safety.”