IGBO TRADER ARRESTED FOR NAMING HIS DOG 'BUHARI'

A 30 years old Igbo trader whose name is Joe Fortemose Chinakwe, of No 10, Omikunle Street, Sango-Ota, Ogun State, was reportedly arrested last weekend, after one of his neighbours of Northern extraction complained bitterly that he named his dog after his father, Alhaji Buhari.

According to Vanguard, the complainant reported the case at Sango Police Station, last Saturday, after which the trader was arrested and detained.

IGBO TRADER ARRESTED FOR NAMING HIS DOG 'BUHARI'

However, it was gathered that efforts by the police to recover the dog, which they intended using as evidence failed following a clever move by the suspect.

The trader, said to be trading in female wears at a popular market in Sango, allegedly directed his friends secretly to kill the dog and possibly eat the meat in order to avoid being implicated. It was gathered that consistent appeals by his friends and relations for the police to grant him bail failed as the complainant and his kinsmen reportedly threatened to kill the trader if he was released on bail.Trader denied bail

The case, however, took a different dimension two days later when Chinakwe’s relatives went to Sango police station to further plead for his bail only to be informed that the case file and the suspect have been transferred to Ogun State Police Command headquarters at Eleweran.

A relation to the suspect, who simply identified himself as Chiedozie, told Vanguard that his brother was being persecuted for no just cause and expressed fears that he may either be poisoned inside police cell or thrown into jail.

Chiedozie said: “Chinakwe is a lover of dogs and he names them after things that tickle him. He bought this dog a year ago and named it Buhari.  Unfortunately, some Northerners, who dominate the vicinity where he resides misconstrued his intention and connived to take him up. The complainant then claimed it was derogatory because his father answers Buhari.”

Police sources, however, told Vanguard that the actions of the suspect “were very provocative.”

The source said: “he not only named the dog Buhari but boldly wrote it on the body of both sides of the dog and was seen parading the neighbourhood dominated by Northerners with it.”

 As at press time, relations to the suspect were still making frantic efforts to effect his bail while his accusers are insisting that he must be prosecuted.Police confirms arrest 

When contacted around 8pm yesterday, the acting Police spokesman in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, ASP, said he was still trying to get the Divisional Police Officer in-charge of Sango for details.

Oyeyemi later called, stating that: “I have made enquiries. The man bought a dog and inscribed Buhari on both sides of its body. One Mallam lodged a complaint and when our men got there, we found out that it was true.

You know such thing can cause serious breach of the peace and ethnic or religious unrest. We are charging him to court for conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.” Continuing, he said: “He was arrested last Saturday and we are taking him to court later today (Tuesday) or tomorrow morning (today).

You know an average Northerner will feel bad over such a thing. It can cause serious ethnic crisis or religious confrontation because when you are relegating such a name to a certain person, you are indirectly insulting him.” When asked about the whereabouts of the dog that will be used as evidence against the 

suspect, the police spokesman said: “The dog cannot follow anybody except the owner. We will use him as our evidence because he did not deny it.”

ROAD SIDE INTERVIEW ABOUT THE INCIDENT

– Mr. Joachim Chinakwe has been rearrested by the police after he was initially released

– The traders is to be arraigned on Monday

– His wife says the issue has affected the family

Mr. Joachim Chinakwe who was arrested by the police for naming his dog Buhari has been arrested again shortly after he was released.

The 41-year-old trader was apprehended by police after a neighbour reported to the police that he named his dog as an insult to his father

. Chinakwe was however released on Tuesday and claimed he named his dog Buhari due to his love for President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Punch reports that the Niger Delta trader was however rearrested on Friday, August 19 and locked up at locked at the state police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta.

Chinakwe claimed his life was in danger as he didn’t know what would happen to him next.

“I had to leave for Eleweran very early on Friday after receiving a letter on Thursday evening inviting me to the Command. I thought I was being called over for a peace talk, I never knew it was for the purpose of detaining me again.

“I am a law-abiding citizen of this country, I have never deliberately committed any offence before, I don’t know why I am being treated like this. I only called the dog that name for the love I have for President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria, I didn’t mean to taunt or hurt anybody with it. I don’t know what next could follow this, I am afraid for my life, I am in danger, please help me.”

Ifeoma who is the wife of the trader said he husband’s ordeal in the past week has affected her and her 18-month-old daughter.

The heavily pregnant woman said she and her daughter have been on medication since the whole issue started.

In tears, she said: “This is the saddest period of my life. Since I met and married my husband three years ago, I have never felt this bad or suffered this much. But since this problem started, I and my daughter have been badly affected,” she continued. “When I went to the police station last Sunday morning to see him, the officers instead of allowing me in, started abusing me. They told me that they would make sure I give birth behind my husband’s cell. Even though I was crying and pleading with them to allow me see him, they kept abusing me, not minding my present condition.

“Since that day, I have not been able to eat well. Also, I and Temi have been very sick and we have been on medications. On several occasions she would wake me up at night, crying and asking after her father. I don’t know what to tell her, so I would also cry.

“The two of us cannot sleep in the house alone, so in the evenings, I go to my aunty’s house at Ojuore to stay till morning before returning home. I am just praying that all the stress that I have been through and tears that I have shed the past few days don’t affect the baby or even make me to lose the child because already, I am not as healthy as I was before this problem started. I won’t lie to you; life has not been the same for me and my daughter without him around.”

Obinna Obasi who is a relation to the detained man said the family had gone through a lot since the case started.

“This matter has really drained us financially. The little that we even have has been exhausted. We have spent everything on us to get a lawyer and also run around trying to find a solution to this problem. In fact, a few days ago, we had to borrow some money from a micro finance bank because we didn’t want him to remain and die in police cell. The first lawyer we paid to handle the case for us disappeared with our money. We had to go beyond our power to raise money to hire another lawyer. To be honest, I cannot estimate the amount of money we have spent so far on this case in trying to get Joe released.”

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