Peter Obi cries out over arrest of Sheik who hosted him in Kaduna

By Ayorinde Oluokun

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi has cried out over alleged arrest of Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani who hosted him in Kaduna on Sunday.

Obi said this in a short statement posted on his X handle titled “Troubling Developments in Our Polity that Must Be Nipped in the Bud,” on Tuesday morning

The former presidential candidate said the who he referred to as “revered religious leader was arrested by authorities shortly after hosting him in Kaduna on Sunday.

Obi who said he just learned of the incident however did not indicate which of the security agencies arrested the Sheik or what he was arrested for

Nevertheless, the former Anambra governor said the arrest of the cleric “underscores the deeply troubling state of our nation and our democracy, where freedom of speech and movement is increasingly threatened, and where citizens and perceived political opponents face harassment and unnecessary persecution.

The former presidential candidate also said such arrests cannot be allowed to continue. He called for defence of free speech, freedom of association

Obi also called for immediate release of the Sheik.

“This country must defend freedom and free speech, which are the hallmarks of every democratic society. Suppression and intimidation of dissent can never stand in a democratic society, and this Nigerian government must understand this fact.

“I respectfully call on all those bent on undermining our already fragile democracy to please stop and apply the rule of law and tenets of democracy in dealing with citizens,” Obi said