COMMODORE ALLEN BENSON EDEMA, the Director General of NIGERIAN MERCHANT NAVY COAST GUARD, was arrested at the premises of the National Assembly (NASS)by personnel of Nigerian Navy on Thursday 18 November, 2016 together with one of his officers by name JOHN MATEP EGERE on allegation of impersonation and duly dressed in the uniform and accoutrement of a Naval Commodore, (equivalent to a Brigadier General).Also the declaration of the PROSCRIBED status of Nigerian Merchant Navy by Federal Government of Nigeria through its official Gazette No 58, Vol 100 of Aug 2013 as quoted by the authority of the Nigerian Navy in a publication dated 22nd Nov, 2016 are tantamount to an unfounded allegation, gross misplacement of priority, baseless and lacks merit.
The Director General COMMODORE ALLEN BENSON EDEMA and JOHN MATEP EGERE, who were both arrested on Thursday 18th Nov, 2016 were taken to Abacha Barrack Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja where they were detained incommunicado in a military cell without any trial. Following the 24 hrs ultimatum given to the Naval Authority by the Federal High Court seating in Abuja on 15th December, 2016 for their unconditional release as a means to enforce their fundamental human right after three weeks of detention, it became clear with high level of amazement that the authority of Nigerian Navy who ought to respect the judiciary blatantly defy Court order and instead handed them over to the Department of State Security (DSS) who continued the inhuman merchandize and unwarranted exploits of Nigerian Navy and have kept COMMODORE BENSON EDEMA and JOHN MATEP EGERE in custody since then till date without any trial.
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