A budding artiste and actor, King Zealot, has been arrested over his alleged connection with Eastern Security Network (ESN), a paramilitary arm of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu.
A friend of the artiste, Preye Black-god Blakes, announced the arrest on Facebook, showing Zealot and several others with some arms and ammunition placed in front of them.
He wrote “Ok, there are two pictures below, my case is for the young man wearing the singlet or armless top.
“From what I got, he was arrested alongside the other people and tagged ESN members. This young man is King Zealot and he is an actor and a music artist, based in Owerri. I got to know him through my good friend Donald Ihem and I can clearly say he is in no way a thief or ESN member. This is cheap blackmail.
“He graduated from IMSU last year and we have been in touch. This isn’t a good thing to just arrest people and tag them for what u like… Please give zealot an unconditional release… Please let’s share and save this happy soul
Meanwhile, reactions have trailed the post as many demanded his release.
“Abeg, let’s put hands together and post his picture on every social media tagging some bloggers so that they will help in doing something,” a Facebook user, Humble Ikedinachi, said.
“What is wrong with these police people for crying out loud? That guy is a music artiste, not a kidnapper or a thief naa,” one XclusivDJ Flex Baba wrote.
Uge Nwachimereze added, “This is sad! Any human rights lawyer in Owerri?”
However, another Facebook user, Habib Yahaya, said anyome could commit crime irrespective of their profession, adding that the case should be investigated.
He wrote, “Well, you need to note that an individual’s occupation does not correlate with his ability to commit a crime. Your job cannot make you innocent or guilty.
“That being said, we also have seen incidences where some A-list actors had been apprehended because they happened to be sympathetic to the Biafra cause in some cases even freely wearing Biafran like costumes and such so. The only measure of guilt or innocence is an investigation.”