In fulfillment of his promise, the spokesman of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, Kassim Afegbua, turned himself in at the police headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Afegbua was accompanied by his lawyer, Mr. Kayode Ajulo.
He was received by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, and they all smiled as they posed for photograph.
The police had declared him wanted on Monday following the statement he issued on Sunday on behalf of his principal, Babangida, advising President Muhammadu Buhari not to stay in office beyond 2019.
The statement sparked off the fire of controversy when, hours later, another statement purportedly by Babangida was issued denying the one issued by Afegbua.
Despite the counter-statement, Afegbua maintained that he got the authority of Babangida to issue the statement and that the former Military President had maintained that he stood by his (Afegbua) statement.
Afegbua on Tuesday gave the hint that he would turn himself in on Wednesday following the declaration that he was wanted.
The hint came as he condemned his being declared wanted when he never went into hiding.
Speaking through his lawyer, Ajulo, Afegbua said declaring him wanted was an attempt to intimidate him.
The statement by Kayode Ajulo and Co., on the action of the police reads: “Afegbua is a well known journalist and was a cabinet member of Edo state government with a known address in Benin, Edo state and Abuja, yet he is not on notice of the police invitation whatsoever, before the purported publication declaring him wanted.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there are spelt-out procedures for declaring a person wanted by the Police. The Police or other law enforcement agencies can declare a person wanted if they find reasons to do so, particularly if the person is a suspect in the commission of a crime and is on the run.
“The public must know that our client, in discharging his duty to his principal, General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR cannot by any stretch of the imagination be said to have committed a crime that warrants such negative publicity. Neither is he on the run.
“Our client, however, remains undeterred by the desperate efforts of some individuals to intimidate him and bend his will and rights against the Constitution provisions, framework of Nigeria Police Force Act and the laws of the land.
“The circumscription of his constitutional right to the dignity of self, freedom of expression and fair hearing denotes that there is a desperate attempt to scare him into submission.
“We have advised Prince Afegbua of his right and remedies available to him, as a law abiding citizen of NIgeria, he has elected to make himself available to the Police on Wednesday once he returns from his trip.”
