A group, the All Progressives Congress ( APC) National Youths Vanguard on Monday issued a 24 hour ultimatum to Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba state to release Comrade Idris Ayuba Donga who had been in detention for 40 days without trial.
The chairman of the Taraba state chapter of the group, Comrade Mohammed Mustapha, gave the ultimatum while briefing newsmen in Jalingo.
He said that the detained youth leader was arrested and detained for criticising the governor on social media for securing a N2.5 billion loan for Covid-19 from Access Bank.
He explained that the detained youth leader was arraigned at a Magistrate Court in Jalingo but the magistrate declined to grant him bail.
He advised the governor not to resort to arrest and detantion of members of the opposition parties, urging him to be tolerant to critisisms.
Mustapha however, called on the national leadership of the APC to intervene in the matter, adding that all efforts by the state chairman of the party, Barr. Ibrahim El-Sudi to secure the release of the youth leader had proved abortive.
“Our state chairman had met with Gov Ishaku over the matter and the governor promised him that the matter would be resolved but later renaged on his promise.
“We are therefore, calling on the national leadership of our great party the APC to wade into the matter with the view to facilitating the release of our detained youth leader who had been in detention for 40 days,’ Mustapha appealed.
Comrade Mustapha regretted the needless killings and destruction of property in the southern part of the state.
He called on the governor to take serious steps in addressing the Tiv-Jukun conflict, before it would escalate further.
He pointed out that the governor who is from the same zone should understand the problem better, describing the situation as bad and rediculous.
He challenged the governor to demonstrate commitment and ultimate sincerity in resolving the aged long conflict.
Mustapha urged the Tiv people of Taraba to stop their brothers from Benue from igniting trouble in the state.
He equally enjoined the Jukun people to accord the Tiv people of Taraba their full rights and dignity, calling on both parties to embrace one another.
