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By Andrew Haruna
Tears. Ache. Uncertainty. That is the every day actuality of Mrs. Usman Austin Okai, a younger mom thrown into despair simply three weeks after childbirth, as her husband, a outstanding Kogi State PDP chieftain, languishes in detention past the court-ordered interval.
Mr. Austin Okai, a former Home of Representatives candidate, was arrested by safety brokers on allegations of cyberstalking and prison defamation towards Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. On February 21, 2025, a Lokoja Justice of the Peace Court docket dominated that Mr. Okai be remanded for 2 weeks, however that interval has lengthy expired, but he stays behind bars with out a recent trial.
Now, a brand new wave of deception and cruelty has emerged—an orchestrated on-line marketing campaign falsely claiming that Okai has been launched. His spouse, nonetheless nursing their new child, has come out to debunk the rumors, describing them as a deliberate ploy to maintain her husband locked away indefinitely whereas diverting public consideration from the gross injustice being meted out to him.
Together with her voice shaking from suppressed sobs, she spoke to The Bureau Newspaper, saying:
“My husband was taken away simply three weeks after I put to mattress. It hasn’t been straightforward for me, for our little one, for our household. Now, they’re spreading lies that he has been launched. If that have been true, wouldn’t he be right here with me, holding his little one?”
Her plea is heartbreaking. A spouse left alone. A new child rising up with out the heat of his father. A household crushed below the load of political oppression.
She additional referred to as on well-meaning Nigerians, human rights organizations, and the worldwide group to talk up towards what she described as a blatant abuse of energy by the Kogi State authorities.
“How lengthy will they hold him there? If they’ve a case towards him, why are they afraid to take him again to court docket? That is nothing however intimidation and suppression. I’m begging Nigerians to lift their voices. Nobody deserves to be handled this manner!”
Because the world watches, the query stays: Will justice be served, or will tyranny win as soon as once more in Kogi State?
