By Ibe Pascal Arogorn
Peter Asagwara has been arrested and detained for questioning the professorship of Abia State Chief Of Staff, Anthony C.B Agabazuere, Crimefacts.news has learnt.
Peter Asagwara is a business man
Asagwara Peter had questioned how Mr. Agbazuere was suddenly promoted to be a professor by Gregory University, Uturu.
Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities faulted the promotion of Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, as a professor.
The union after its National Executive Council meeting declared the promotion as “illegal”.
This was declared at a press conference addressed by the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, on Monday.
He said, “You cannot be a minister and a lecturer in a university. It is an encouragement of illegality.
Crimedacts.news gathered that Asagwara had explained that Mr. Agbazuere’s promotion as professor was undue and negates every academic tenet.
In a post made by an activist on his Facebook timeline and seen by crimefacts.news, Mezie Abia said Asagwara Peter was arrested and charged before a magistrate court which does not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
“The idea was not to seek justice, the idea was to slam him in prison pending the transfer of the matter to the appropriate court”.
“This is coming after Mr. Agbazuere has approached Justice Benson Anya’s court in Umunneochi to restrain Asagwara Peter from making further revelations”.
“To me, this idea is laughable. So long as Asagwara would not remain in prison forever, the idea is a mere fiasco”, Mezie said.
“Asagwara asked a critical question of public interest. Every human has the right to ask necessary questions when necessary”.
“If someone had questioned how you acquired an academic milestone, it is your duty to publicly embarrass such questioner with facts rather than trying to victimize him”.
“When you struggle so hard to victimize and attack a questioner, it shows lack of sincerity from your end”.
“We were all in this State(Abia) when Sen. T.A Orji was chief of staff, we were here when Dr. Cosmos Ndukwe was Chief of staff, we were here when the late Chijioke Nwakodo was chief of staff”.
“They never used the government office as a tool against the masses who asked them critical questions of public interest”.
“Interestingly, we would also be here to see the end of Mr. Agbazuere’s imperiousness”.
“Mr. Agbazuere, the very week you became chief of staff was also the week you used the name of the governor to arrest and slam your own brother, a former deputy chief of staff, Dr. Chris Nwagboso,in prison”.
“You used the name of the governor also to arrest Barr. Empero Gabriel Ogbonna whose wife was heavily pregnant at the time,and slammed him in prison”.
“These antics and machinations of arresting and detaining people are old-fashioned, if anything, they are all hoarding up and piling up waiting for you and even passively,those innocent children of yours”.
AGABAZUERE HAS SENT MANY PEOPLE TO PRISON
The Abia based activist, Mezie Abia also narrated how the Aba Chief jailed many other people who dare or question his authority.
He said, “about two weeks ago, one Hon Christian Mark Nwanpka was arrested and detained by Mr. ACB Agbazuere ,the Chief of staff to Abia State governor. I left Port Harcourt to see him in Afara. The young man is an Agbero worker who did nothing to Mr. Agbazuere”.
“They broke into his house at night and whisked him away like a common criminal, having his children and poor wife crying pathetically”.
“When I got to Afara, I saw About 15 other young people there, including one lady, they had their respective court hearings that very day”.
“A single person had about 15 innocent people locked up in a prison, and he walks happily with his family without remorse”.
JUSTICE FOR ASAGWARA PETER
Activist Mezie Abia said the culture of arresting people for asking pertinent questions, is old-fashioned, it’s as dead as dodo. People will ask questions, asking pertinent questions is a social responsibility.
“If questions were not asked regarding the professorship of Isa Pantami, perhaps, the Academic Staff Union of Universities – ASUU would not have risen to the occasion on Monday to describe Isa Pantami’s professorship as illegal”.
“The professorship of Mr. Anthony C.B Agbazuere who is the Chief of staff to the Abia State governor, is currently being questioned. His only response to the question was using the governor’s letter headed paper to arrest and detain the young man who asked pertinent questions regarding the professorship conferred on him by Gregory University Uturu Abia State”.
“What Agbazuere can’t do however, is to arrest the truth. He can use the governor’s letter headed paper to arrest Abians who ask pertinent questions and carry out other cruel deeds against Abia State citizens,but he can’t arrest the truth”.
“We demand JUSTICE for Asagwara”.
MY LIFE THREATENED
The activist said he has received series of threats to his life from persons he believed to be working for Mr. Anthony C.B Agbazuere.
Mezie Abia said, “i have one Mr. Uba Anyanwu on record on Tuesday evening, threatening to come for me if I do not stop telling the public how Mr. Anthony C.B Agbazuere is using government office to intimidate, repress and arrest Abians”.
“What some of these people threatening me do not understand is that nobody has the monopoly of violence. I also want to let them know that I shall remain resolute as long as I am convinced that I am on the path of truth and justice”.
“I want the general public and all security agencies in Nigeria to hold Mr. Agbazuere and Mr. Uba Anyanwu responsible should anything happen to me from today henceforth, because, I am never ready to stop exposing Mr. Agbazuere’s roughshod actions against Abians”, Mr said.
Commenting on the matter, Barr. Gabriel Ogbonna (Emperor) said, “you think it is only one man that this man has gotten arrested?
“Go to Afara and you will find out that there are at least 20 people in detention courtesy of the same man”.
“When I was in detention I saw at least ten different people arrested on his orders or facilitation.
That man enjoys writing petition against people and using the police and DSS to arrest people”
“That is his hobby”, Barr Ogbonna noted.
AGABAZUERE, ONCE AN ACTIVIST
Continuing, Barr. Gabriel Ogbonna said, “Femi Falana SAN told me when I was in detention, that he called this same man(Anthony C.B) who used to write petition against me (Ogbonna), and who led the Commissioner of Police to my office to arrest me, and who led the DSS to intercept me from the federal High Court, and who led the DSS to arrest me when I was leaving detention in Afara prison, and Falana said that he reminded him that if not for him (Falana), that he would have died”.
“Falana said that he reminded him of how he saved him from certain death in the hands of the military in those days when the military detained him”.
“Falana told me that he is surprised that the same man that was a victim of abuse of right is now the same person that is doing everything to abuse the rights of others today”.
When our reporter reached out to the Abia State Chief Of Staff, Mr Anthony C.B Agabazuere didn’t respond to calls and SMS sent to him on Thursday.
