Land Dispute: Gombe NMA writes NSCDC protest letter
Gombe State chapter of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), on Tuesday wrote a protest letter to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), over the continuous detention of its Secretary Dr. Daniel Apollos.
According to a letter signed by the chairman Dr. Abdulsalam Khalifa Ibrahim, the Association frowned at the deliberate abuse of the fundamental human rights of Apollos.
The protest letter copied the Commissioner for health, Gombe state, The Director, State Security Services, Gombe, and Chief Medical Director, FTH Gombe, urging the command to release Apollos based on his existing bail.
Our Correspondent reports that Apollos, was earlier granted bail but was rearrested on Sunday following a complaint made by Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Naomi Awak, over an alleged land sales.
The letter partly; “Dr. Apollos was invited by your command on Friday, December 2, 2022 following a complaint made by Mrs. Naomi Awak, the honourable commissioner for women affairs. I as the Chairman, NMA Gombe state chapter was notified and I presented myself at your command to sign his bail bond on the same day. Presently, I understand your command is in possession of the clearance
form of Dr. Apollos’ personal house in lieu of the bail he was granted. Despite all of this and ongoing efforts to arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue at hand, your command sir has gone ahead to remand Dr. Apollos for two days in custody from Sunday, December 11, 2022 till date without charge despite the existing bail being officially valid. We as NMA Gombe state chapter consider this as a violation of the fundamental human rights of our member and abuse of power.”
Full letter
The Commandant,
Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps,
Gombe State Command,
Gombe.
Sir,
PROTEST LETTER
I hereby write in protest of the violation of the fundamental human right of the Secretary of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Gombe state chapter in the person of Dr. Daniel Apollos by your command.
Dr. Apollos was invited by your command on Friday, December 2, 2022 following a complaint made by Mrs. Naomi Awak, the honourable commissioner for women affairs. I as the Chairman, NMA Gombe state chapter was notified and I presented myself at your command to sign his bail bond on the same day. Presently, I understand your command is in possession of the clearance
form of Dr. Apollos’ personal house in lieu of the bail he was granted. Despite all of this and ongoing efforts to arrive at an amicable resolution of the issue at hand, your command sir has gone ahead to remand Dr. Apollos for two days in custody from Sunday, December 11, 2022 till date without charge despite the existing bail being officially valid. We as NMA Gombe state chapter consider this as a violation of the fundamental human rights of our member and abuse of power.
We hereby demand the immediate release of our member in the person of Dr. Daniel Apollos on his existing bail conditions or he should be charged to court as any further violation of his
fundamental human right by your commission will not be tolerated further by NMA Gombe state
chapter.
Accept the assurances of my highest regards.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Abdulsalam Khalifa Ibrahim
Chairman, NMA Gombe state chapter.
Cc:
The Commissioner for health, Gombe state
The Director, State Security Services, Gombe
Chief Medical Director, FTH Gombe
When contacted the Public Relations Officer of the command DSC Saad Buhari, promised to get back to our Correspondent.
He noted that he was not aware of the case in question,”Once I confirm I will get back to you,” Buhari said.
Also, Awak in a telephone interview with PERISCOPE NIGERIA, said she was not not directly involved, stressing that questions should be channelled to the NSCDC.
She narrated, “Dr. Apollos brought the land for sale, he gave the documents for sale and he gave the account number of the man(actual land owner) and he is the one talking with the man and he collected the money and shared as agency fee.
“It is not in my nature to do bad to someone but I was pushed to the wall. He has been in the picture.”
When asked about the ownership of the disputed land sales Awak said, “The land is not their own but they brought the land for sale. The bail condition is for them to drop atleast 2million naira to be granted bail. It is not my case but that of Civil Defence, they (Apollos) went and fraudulently sold someone’s plot and collected money.
“They should stop spoiling my name. He brought out plot for sale, that his neighbour wants to sell the plot and he gave the number of the neighbour, gave account number of the owner and the person buying the plot paid money into the account. He also gave us particulars for the land.”
“This is not my case, please they should be talking to Civil Defence, let them do the right thing,” Awak added.
Reacting, Barr. Martha Daniel, wife of the detained Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist, decried her husband’s detention, saying that it was unnecessary.
“I am a human rights lawyer and any one who doesn’t jump bail should not be detained again,” she explained.
