Oshiomhole says nothing wrong with handcuffing PDP spokesman

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has said that there’s nothing wrong with the recent handcuffing of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Olisa Metuh by prison officials on a court visit.

Oshiomhole made the comment on Wednesday, January 20, 2016, during a meeting with the new leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Benin.

“If those accused of lesser crimes are handcuffed and paraded by the police and got no sympathy from the public, Mr. Metuh and others accused of diverting huge public funds, should not have sympathy,” the governor said.

“I want to appeal to the media to join President Buhari in fighting the anti-corruption war because if we don’t, and we allow these people to harass the President into silence, all of us are in trouble.

“I saw some headlines querying why should Metuh be in handcuffs? If people who steal goats, ‘grass cutters’ are in handcuffs; I have been to the police station several times and I see young men who stole not more than N500,000 in handcuffs.

“They are paraded and made to sit on the floor. Why should a certain set of criminals be treated as if they are not suspected criminals for serious crimes at that?

“When you all reported lavishly how under the former president, the former defence chief set up a military tribunal to try soldiers who ran away from the battlefield and they were condemned to death, it was only Femi Falana who was consistent in fighting their case.

“Those were Nigerians who were to be killed for running away because they couldn’t confront the Boko Haram sect that was well armed while they were asked to go and fight with their bare hands and we were told that weapons, ammunition and everything had been provided,” he added.

Metuh was taken to court the Abuja Federal High Court in handcuffs to face charges of money laundering after allegedly accepting N400 million from former National Security Adviser(NSA), Sambo Dasuki who is also being tried for corruption.

He has been granted bail to the tune of N400 million and is currently being remanded at the Kuje Prisons.