Nigeria’s foremost investigative newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES, has written the United Kingdom government requesting the details of the arrest and detention of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by its immigration officials at Heathrow airport in London last week.
In the letter dated 13 April to the UK Home Office, the newspaper sought to understand the circumstances surrounding Mr Obi’s ordeals in the European country during Easter.
On Wednesday, the Head, Obi-Datti Media, Diran Onifade, in a statement announced that the LP candidate was last week detained in London by UK immigration officials over alleged impersonation.
Mr Onifade, however, said Mr Obi has since returned to Nigeria.
“The LP presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential poll arrived at the Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary Airport protocols when he was accosted by immigration officials who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside,” he said in the statement.
He added that Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, was harassed by the London immigration officials and placed in detention where he spent the Easter holidays.
The statement did not, however, highlight the necessary details of Mr Obi’s arrest and his subsequent release before returning to the country.
Similarly, the UK government has yet to provide any information surrounding Mr Obi’s ordeal in London.
The inquiry
Based on these concerns and its desire to accurately report the incident amidst unsubstantiated claims on the issue on social media, PREMIUM TIMES placed a telephone call on Thursday to the UK Home Office for further details on Mr Obi’s ordeal.
However, this newspaper was requested to write a letter formally requesting the details.
In the letter, signed by the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, it specifically sought clarification on Mr Obi’s offences, when and how he was released, the conditions upon which he was released, the current status of the case against him and other related issues.
“Our newspaper is interested in understanding the circumstances surrounding the arrest and detention of Mr Obi, including:
-details of when he was arrested,
– his offences,
– when and how he was released,
– the conditions upon which he was released,
– the current status of the case against him and
– whether he was arraigned and in which court,” the letter read.
LP mute on alleged offences by Peter Obi
Meanwhile, a similar request, among which include the inquiry into the crimes committed by the “impersonator” that led to Mr Obi’s detention as well as his current access status to the UK, which were forwarded to Mr Onifade, were left unanswered as of the time of filing this report.
