Man detained for two months forallegedly criticising Bayelsa governor onFacebook

A businessman, Tonye Okio, spent his
Christmas and will start the New Year at
a Bayelsa prison for allegedly criticizing
the Bayelsa State governor, Seriake
Dickson, on his Facebook account.
Mr. Okio, who was also a former Abuja
Liaison officer for Bayelsa State, was
arrested on October 26 at his Abuja
residence.

He was subsequently blindfolded and
driven to Bayelsa by the Special
Investigation Bureau, SIB. The police also
stripped Mr. Okio of his mobile gadgets
and all postings on his Facebook account,
‘Tonye Okio’, about Mr. Dickson was
deleted.
Two days after his arrest, the Bayelsa
police released a statement that Mr. Okio
was arrested for seditious publications
against the Bayelsa governor.
“This is to inform the general public and
the good people of Bayelsa State in
particular that the Bayelsa police
command has succeeded in apprehending
one Tonye Okio ‘M’ of Otiokpoti, Ogbia
Local Government Area, Bayelsa State for
the offence of seditious publications.
“The suspects whose syndicate members
are now at large will be appropriately
arraigned in court when investigation is
complete,” the police said.
The police then detained Mr. Okio for 10
days without trial. Mr. Okio’s lawyer
subsequently filed a case at a Bayelsa
High Court demanding his fundamental
rights be obeyed and he be charged to
court if he has indeed done anything
wrong.
A day before his fundamental rights case
was to be heard, the police on November
5charged the victim before a Magistrate
Court for defamatory publication against
the Bayelsa governor.
After taking his plea, the Magistrate
Court adjourned the case to November 21
for trial.
When the case came up on November, 21,
the magistrate court granted Mr. Okio, an
aide to ex-Bayelsa governor, Timipriye
Sylva, bail in what a civil society activist
described as ‘ridiculous conditions.’
The bail conditions included N5 million with
one surety in like sum who must be a
permanent secretary in the state and
resident within the court’s jurisdiction.
Following the ruling, the victim’s lawyer,
Doueyi Fiderikumo, prayed the court that
it would be impossible to satisfy the
condition because the complainant was the
state governor who he suspected must
have threatened most permanent
secretaries in the state.
Sources close to the Bayelsa State
government also told PREMIUM TIMES
that no permanent secretary under the
state’s employ dare stand as surety for
Mr. Okio out of fear of the governor.
Although an application was filed at the
Nembe Division of the Bayelsa High Court
in the state to demand a variation in the
bail conditions, the court reportedly fixed
three consecutive days for hearing and
was unable sit on any of those days.
A ruling on the review of bail application
was slated for December but was again
adjourned by the presiding judge, J.
Buofini.
On the said date, the judge through the
court’s registrar notified counsels that
the ruling on the bail review application
was not ready; and therefore the case
was adjourned tillJanuary 20.
Civil society groups react
Two civic groups, the Movement for
Accountability and Good Governance,
MAGG, and Civil Society Network Against
Corruption, CISNAC, have reacted to the
continued detention of Mr. Okio and
demanded the immediate release.
The program officer of CISNAC, Toyin
Koleade, in a statement said the
organisation was deeply concerned about
the conspiracy between the Bayelsa
governor and the state’s judiciary over
the illegal imprisonment of Mr. Okio.
“The Civil Society Network Against
Corruption is deeply concerned with the
tyrannical conspiracy of the Governor
Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and the
State Judiciary, over the illegal
imprisonment of Mr. Tonye Okio, a social
media activist who was arrested from his
Abuja home on the 26th of October 2013,
based on the orders of Mr. Dickson,” Mr.
Koleade said
He said it was unfortunate that public
office holders, voted into power by the
people, turn around to witch hunt people
who they ought to be accountable to.
Also, the National President of MAGG,
Jasper Azuatalam, said the police alleged
that they saw on Mr. Okio’s facebook page
that a particular South-South governor
was apprehended in the United States for
laundering about $5 million and that
another governor from the same region
had had the same kind of case. He said
the police also claimed that Mr. Okio
denied that the said Facebook account
does not belong to him.
Mr. Azuatalam condemned the treatment
of Mr. Okio and demanded his immediate
release.

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