-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Socialist Appeal [SMTP:socappeal@easynet.co.uk]
Sendt: 11. juni 1999 14:31
Emne: Nigerian students in jail for a month!
LATEST ON ARREST OF NIGERIAN STUDENT ACTIVISTS
June 11, 1999
URGENT ACTION IS REQUIRED ON THIS QUESTION
Dear Comrades,
We are sending you the latest information on the arrested students in
Nigeria. You have already received other notices on this question (see
http://www.marxist.com/appeals.html)
Unfortunately the student activists are still in prison. They were not
granted bail Tuesday, 25th May. The Magistrate blamed it, this time, on the
ongoing Kwara State civil service workers' strike! [NOTE: Ilorin, the town
where the students have been arrested is in Kwara State]. The Magistrate
further declared that the court would no longer sit until the workers call
off the strike. The strike now seems to be coming to an end and this should
allow the process to be speeded up.
The High Court case, being taken up by Human Rights lawyers is also not yet
off the ground because of the strike. This is a terrible situation for the
students concerned. What the University wants to do is to hold them for as
long as possible and expel them from the campus.
The NANS (National Association of Nigerian Students) leaders have had a
meeting with the Vice Chancellor and he told them to go and tell the
detained students to withdraw the suit from the High Court! That with that
he would see "what he could do", as regards their release! That is just a
delaying tactic, as he himself was responsible for their arrest in the
first place.
However he also added that two of the students are going to be dismissed
from the University and added that if they do withdraw the case from court
they will then have to face the Students' Disciplinary Panel! What he wants
to do is to put the students at his mercy.
The arrest of these students is an attack against the whole of the student
movement in Nigeria. Proof of this is the fact that another student leader
connected to this protest movement has been declared wanted. It was
reported that the police arrested a girl in the Court thinking that she was
the wanted student.
Based on this state of things we have to step up the solidarity campaign
and the financial assistance to the arrested students. The lawyers are
expecting some money to assist them in the law suit. The solidarity
campaign inside Nigeria was able to raise 500 Naira (3.30 pounds) and this
has been given this to the lawyers.
On Thursday, 3-6-99, it was possible to organise a visit to the imprisoned
students. They are still at the Ilorin Maximum Security prison. Their
health is not good. Many of them have fallen sick. They have been able to
get some drugs with their own money. The State in Nigeria does not make
provisions for such things.
It is now nearly two weeks since the Civilians took over from the military
and they have not yet deemed it fit to release all those kept in prison
illegally and unjustifiably by their Military counterparts. The imprisoned
students are not allowed to read political books; the prison authorities
refused books that were taken to them in prison. This further shows the
political nature of their detention. What is glaring is that the University
management and the State want to hold them for as long as possible.
The Kwara State secretary of the NLC (Nigerian Labour Congress) has also
paid them a visit in prison. A letter of solidarity and an appeal for the
NLC to intervene is being proposed.
The solidarity campaign on the campus has also managed to raise about 1,500
Naira (10 pounds) from the students of Ilorin University; this went towards
the production of a leaflet to inform the students about what is going on.
About 1,000 copies of the leaflet were produced. The mood is gradually
changing on the campus; it is only a matter of time before the students
begin to mobilise.
Support is also coming from some Human Rights organisations in Nigeria. The
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, has footed some of the
legal bills; they gave the five Lawyers 10,000 Naira (68 pounds). They also
sent 2,000 (14 pounds) Naira to the detained students. When we got the
news of the arrest we only had four names, and one of those included Lekan,
who in reality managed to escape. We now have the full list of arrested
students. The names of arrested and detained students are listed below:
LAUTECH students:
Bashiru Idris,
Akeem Kareem,
Ogunjinmi Niyi,
Adeleye Fatai,
Adesoji Faleye,
Akindele Femi,
Ogundepo Gbenga,
Egbeleke Aderopo,
University of Ilorin students:
Tosin Akinrogunde,
Sola Adeyelu,
OAU (Ife University) student:
Isiaka Adegbile
They have been charged with criminal conspiracy, trespass, incitement,
disturbance, mischief and resisting arrest! The Chief Magistrate is Mallam
B. Garba.
The incredible thing is that the students have been kept in a maximum
security prison now for a month and yet the 'offence' that they have been
charged with only carries a week's sentence even if they were found guilty
and they would even have the option of paying a fine.
STEP UP THE CAMPAIGN
So far many letters have been sent to the Nigerian newspapers and to
Nigerian embassies, but we need to step up the campaign. The authorities
seem to be showing no sign of making concessions. Obviously the main thrust
of the campaign must come from within Nigeria itself, from the student
movement and the Labour movement, but pressure from outside can help a
great deal in making the Nigerian authorities aware of the fact that what
they are doing is being carefully watched around the world.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
We are sending out the details again, to make sure they are acted upon. We
must send off letters of protest, e-mails, etc., to the Nigerian
authorities in as many countries as possible. We should try and get MPs,
Trade Union leaders, etc., to send protests to the Nigerian embassies or
High Commissions.
Where this has already been done we should stress the fact that so far the
authorities have ignored the protests and are still keeping the students in
custody.
We should get as many letters from significant organisations and
individuals. We are again listing below the e-mail addresses and fax
numbers of some Nigerian newspapers you can write to and direct letters to:
THE GUARDIAN letters@ngrguardiannews.com and fax: ++ 234 1 4528522
VANGUARD vanguard@linkserve.com.ng or vanguard@nova.net.ng
THE PUNCH editorial@punch.com.ng and fax: ++ 234 1 4920205, 4972816
CONCORD fax: ++ 234 1 4960095
THIS DAY thisday@linkserve.com.ng and fax: ++ 234 1 4937779
THE POST EXPRESS rozu@aol.com and fax: ++ 234 1 5453436
The letters should refer to the arrests. They were reported in the Nigerian
newspaper, The Punch, in the days following the arrests. The wording
should refer to the fact that in Nigeria the military have handed power
over to a civilian government. This took place on 29th May. In the build up
to this process many of the people detained in the past had been freed,
such as the trade union leaders, etc. But this arrest of students
protesting legitimately against the increase in school fees is an
indication that they are not serious about the implementation of genuine
democracy.
We should explain that we will raise the question in the labour movement,
and in any student organisations and parties you may be involved in. We
should demand the immediate release of the students involved and that they
should be treated in a humanitarian way. We should protest at the fact that
the students seem to be being held indefinitely, or at least until the next
hearing on 29th June, in spite of the fact that the charges against them (a
clear fabrication) could only receive a one week prison sentence! We
should also raise the question of Financial Aid in the movement, as they
will need it while in prison. The students need to be fed and they are also
in need of medicines as some of them have fallen ill while in prison.
Letters demanding the release of the students IN BRITAIN should also be
sent to:
Nigerian High Commission,
Nigeria House
9 Northumberland Avenue
London WC2N 5BX
Fax: 0171-839-8746
You can also phone the High Commission on:
Tel: 0171-839 1244 and demand to know what is being done about this
question.
Letters bringing the case to the attention of the Labour government, asking
it to protest to the Nigerian government about the arrests, should be
addressed to
Right Honourable Robin Cook MP,
Foreign Secretary,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
King Charles Street,
London SW1A 2AH
In other countries letters of protest should be sent to the relevant
Nigerian embassies.
WE NEED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE ARRESTED STUDENTS In Britain we have
launched a ?Nigerian Legal Defence Fund? where we would direct money given
to help the Nigerian students. They are incurring legal costs and while
they are in prison they also need money for food and medicines.
We should approach individuals and labour movement bodies for donations.
Cheques should be made payable to the ?Nigerian Legal Defence Fund? and
sent to PO Box 6977, London N1 3JN.
Payments can also be made into our special account with the Girobank (The
Post Office in Britain).
The account name is: Nigerian Legal Defence Fund
The account number is: 38 332 3282
With a paying in slip payments can be made at any post office.
LETTERS and TELEGRAMS should also be sent to:
The Chief Magistrate Mallam B. Garba,
Ministry of Justice,
Ilorin,
Kwara State,
Nigeria.
This is VERY IMPORTANT because there is actually no guarantee that the
Nigerian newspapers and embassies will pass on the protest letters. The
judge himself must be made aware of the fact that there is a solidarity
campaign taking place.
Please send copies of all letters and emails to:
Nigeria@socappeal.easynet.co.uk
WE SHOULD TREAT THIS QUESTION WITH THE URGENCY IT REQUIRES. REMEMBER THESE
STUDENTS ARE SUFFERING AT THE BRUTAL HANDS OF THE NIGERIAN PRISON
AUTHORITIES AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP.
------------------------------
See also:
The Living Hell of Everyday life for Workers in Lagos, Nigeria
http://www.marxist.com/Africa/livinghell.html
We spoke to two workers in Lagos (Nigeria) who described the conditions of
work in the various factories they have worked in. A really horrifying
account. March 1999
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