Presidential aide’s ally, Ifere, arrested for hate speech against Cross River government

Paul Ifere [Photo Credit: Premium Times]

Officials of the Cross River State Police Criminal Investigation Department, have arrested Paul Ifere, a social critic and an associate of one of President Buhari’s aides.

Ifere was apprehended on Thursday, at the Police Headquarters, Abuja, while honouring an invitation on a petition he had written over schemes to assassinate him.

The social critic was said have been driven to Calabar, the capital of Cross River, on Thursday, since when he had been detained.

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Alleging that the arrest was politically orchestrated, the Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla,  who is an ally of Mr. Ifere, said the accused was arrested because he speaks against corruption in Cross River.

But the police denied any politics saying he was arrested based on petitions written against him.

“The arrest is politically motivated. Ifere has a reputation as a social critic. He writes a lot of articles exposing incompetence, corruption, maladministration in Cross River and that has not gone down well with the authorities.” Obono-Obla disclosed to Premium times.