Stakeholders under the auspices of Centre for Justice and Equity (CJE) have condemned the continuous detention of the younger brother and aides of former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva.

The group described the development as “ a deliberate, calculated and premeditated torture”. The stakeholders, in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, and signed by the spokesperson of CJE, Chief Igoni A. Lawrence, decried what it referred to as the prolonged and unexplained incarceration of the detainees, several months after their arrest, without clear charges being made public.

The group said it had closely monitored the case since the raid on Sylva’s residence in November last year, during which four individuals were arrested.

The stakeholders further expressed concern over the repeated adjournment of the case by the Federal High Court, noting that the latest postponement had deepened the anguish of the detainees and their families.

The CJE warned that the continued detention, without trial or publicly stated charges, appeared “planned and calculated”, raising serious concerns about the rule of law and due process.

“We have been following this case since Chief Sylva’s residence was raided in November last year and four persons were arrested over alleged offences the public is still not aware of.” “Perhaps, there is more to this matter than meets the eye. These men have remained in detention for months without clarity on the allegations against them.”