Stowaway: Family, volunteer lawyers beg for his release

The family of the stowaway
teenage boy, Daniel Oikhena, who is still
being detained by the Department of State
Security Services, DSS, in Lagos, has appealed
for his release, saying he was only an
innocent boy who tried to pursue his
dreams and not a criminal.
This came as a rights group, Forum for
Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHD,
called on the DSS to release the 13-year-old
boy to reunite with his family.
Similarly, a volunteer group,De Raufs, has
also concluded plans to dispatch a team of
lawyers to secure the release of the teenage
boy, as coordinator of the group, Comrade
Amitolu Shittu, said the team of lawyers
from Osun State, which would be led by Mr.
Yinka Muyiwa, will team up with the Lagos
coordinator of the group to secure the boy’s
release.
However, younger brother of the teenage
boy, Desmond Oikhena, who made the
appeal, said the family was shocked that
their brother was still being detained by the
DSS, explaining that that the stowaway is
only a young boy who did not even know
what he did and not a criminal.
He said: “My brother learnt what he did
through films, he watched films a lot and
that was why he had problem with my elder
sister the night to that his action at the
airport.
“We are missing him a lot; we are appealing
that he should be released so that he can
come and prepare for the coming new
school session.
“My brother is not a criminal. He is just a
quiet young man who was pursuing his
dream of going to America. We thank God
he survived the incident so they should
allow him come home so that he can go to
the hospital for proper medical check up.”
While condemning the continued detention
of the boy in Lagos, Comrade Shittu, who
reiterated the earlier resolve of the group to
award the stowaway teenager scholarship
up to university level, queried the continued
detention of the boy by the DSS, saying
airport officials in Benin were to blame for
the security lapses at Benin Airport and not
the teenager.
Meanwhile, a group, Forum for Justice and
Human Rights Defence, FJHD, has called on
the Department of State Security, DSS, to
release the boy to reunite with his family.
The group in a statement signed by its
national coordinator, Oghenajabor Ikimi, in
Warri weekend, said: “We believe that rather
than crucify the above adventurous and
courageous teenager, all hands must be on
deck to secure his future educationally so
that he can achieve his dream of travelling
by air legitimately.”