Good Government Groups Call For The Release Of Tonye Okio, A Social Media Critic Of Government

Members of the Movement for Accountability and Good Governance are demanding the release of government critic, Tonye Okio, imprisoned since his arrest on October 26th.
Okio, active with the Ijaw Nation Forum, has been a noted critic of President Goodluck Jonathan and Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.  A frequent poster on Facebook and social media, Okio, argues about the need for moderation, accountability and infrastructure development, and has complained about poverty and underdevelopment in the Niger Delta.  Okio worked for the Bayelsa state government during the tenure of Timpirye Sylva.
SaharaReporters first covered the arrest of Okio on October 29 when 15 men from the Special Investigation Bureau and Nigerian Police invaded his home in Abuja, seized him, confiscating his iPad, mobile phone and his sisters' mobile phone.  They gave no reason for his arrest. He was driven from his home to Bayelsa State and according to the Accountability and Good Government Movement was kept in detention for ten days and tortured.  
Jasper Azuatalam, National President of MAGG contacted a lawyer, Bar Doueyi d Fiderikumo to seek bail for his release.  On 5th of November, Okio was charged by the High Court of Bayelsa for publication of defamatory statements against the Governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson.  
In a ruling on 21st of November, the Magistrate granted Okio's application for bail in the some of Naira five million with surety in like sum, surety must be a serving Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State and must be resident in the court jurisdiction.  His lawyer tried approaching Permanent Secretaries but all were unavailable.
MAGG claimed the Permanent Secretaries were threatened with sanctions should they support Okio.  
MAGG filed an application at the Nembe division of the Hight Court Bayelsa state to demeaned the bail condition be varied.  The High Court has fixed days to consider applications. and have offered up excuses for not sitting and will go into recess for Christmas which means Okio will stay in prison until 2014.
MAGG has written to the Human Rights Commission claiming the infringement of Tonye Okio's rights arguing he is a law abiding citizen and has never been convicted of any crime.  
MAGG also points out that while the Lagos State Senate has just thrown out a provision that would have imprisoned social media critics for seven years, the Bayelsa State Government is intimidating social media critics with arrest of Tonye Okio.