Falana demands unconditional, immediate release of Arogundade

By allcitynews.ng

Human Rights Lawyer and Activist, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has called for unconditional and immediate release of the Executive Director of the International Press Institute based in Lagos.

The former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr Lanre Arogundade, was arrested on arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Thursday, 10 February 2022 in Lagos.

He had travelled to Gambia to attend and conduct a training programme on Conflict Reporting for Journalists, organised by the UNESCO (Gambia) and International Press Institute.

No reason has been given for his arrest as of the time of filing this report.

The statement by Falana (SAN) was titled, “Demand for unconditional release of Lanre Arogundade from illegal custody of State Security Service,”

The unconditional and immediate release of Arogundade became imperative because “We have confirmed that his name is not on Watch List. Hence, he was not prevented from travelling out of Nigeria. We have equally confirmed that he did not commit any offence in The Gambia to warrant his arrest and detention by security agencies in Nigeria.

“In fact, Mr Arogundade conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria throughout his stay in The Gambia. Even though the State Security Service said that Mr Arogundade has no right to enter Nigeria, he has not been sent back to The Gambia or any other country that might have been adopted for him. Since the harassment of Mr Arogundade cannot be justified, we are compelled to demand his immediate and unconditional release from the illegal custody of the State Security Service.”