News as Ezekwesili after airing Her Position On Judges’ Arrest, Twitter User Swiftly Engages with Her

Here is current News thriving online reveal that the erstwhile Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili was recently constructively engaged by a twitter user after she performed a 360 degree turn and backed the DSS “unlawful” invasion of Judges’ homes some weeks ago as reported here some days ago.

Reading through a tweet from
Ezekwesili’s twitter handle, she said, “One can regard DSS operation as an EXTRAORDINARY INTERVENTION to WAKE UP a willfully LETHARGIC Bench & Bar to COMPULSORILY TACKLE CORRUPTION.”

Reading and revealing as this was a totally different position to the one she recently had taken in the immediate aftermath of the Judges’ arrest.

In recent update however, she was engaged by twitter user @i_am_anomeli who disagreed and pointed out why the rule of law and due process must be upheld at all times in a series of tweets. He even told a personal story.
@i_am_anomeli said “Good morning ma’am. I typically do not tweet @ you. We fundamentally disagree on a lot of things. But this position makes it hard to ignore.

“To drive home my point I will tell a deeply personal story. One that forms some of the most poignant memories of my childhood. In 1997 my father, who used to work for NITEL, discovered a fraud of about N5m. A lot of money back in the day.
“He reported this matter to the then GM, South East Zone – Engr Walker, who in turn reported to the then MD, Engr Bajuga. Upon reporting the then Minister of Communication – Maj Gen Tajudeen Olarewaju, my father was arrested & detained.

“He was detained cos according to Maj. Gen Olarewaju’s logic for such money to be missing my father had to be an accomplice. 4 Special Investigation Panels found my father not guilty. But he was not released. He was detained from April 97 till Dec 20 1997. He was detained first at the Nigerian Police Command, Enugu. Then Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) Apapa.

“Nigerian Human Rights Commission took up his case, particularly because he was innocent, but Col. Akiode insisted he must be kept.

“I vividly remember seeing soldiers frogjump my dad at gun point on the orders of Col Frank Omenka – because we brought him food!!!

“It took a family friend once taking us to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha who took us to Gen Abacha for my father to be freed. My father left Nitel thereafter. It was Nigeria’s loss. Because for years 1994-96 he won awards as most outstanding staff.

“I became a lawyer because of this. Because I had first hand experience of what it is like to have rights violated so brazenly. When you provide nuance for “extraordinary interventions” you enable the platforms for violation of rights of people like my dad.

“There cannot, & must not be, any nuance for violation of the rule of law. Its integrity is the last hope of the common man. If people in power do not like it, they can amend laws. APC/Buhari have the numbers in NASS to implement any legislative agenda.

“When we shout rule of law, its not just cos we are wailers. Its cos we have personal experience of what life wld be without it. I firmly believe that it is better for criminals to go free than to abridge the rights of an innocent man.

“My dad sued Nitel & the FG. The judiciary stood up for him. Awarded him damages, ordered Nitel to give him his job back. The FG under Abdulsalam Abubakar then Obj refused to respect those court orders despite not appealing. In 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’adua became President. Goodluck Jonathan was his vice president. They respected the court judgments. he had passed the age for retirement so he couldnt go back to work. So he got retirement with full benefits & 10 years back pay.”

In her response to his tweets, Oby Ezekwesili  said to @i_am_anomeli “You’re determined to frame your OWN narrative of my stance on Rule of Law of DSS’s action. If it helps, so be it!”

She also commiserated with him for what his father went through and she added that she hopes he heals from the ordeal.